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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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Purchased   by  the    Hamill   Missionary   Fund. 


t  iFTY  Years  in  Amoy 


OR 


A  History  of  the  Amoy  Mission, 

CHINA. 


FOUNDED  FEBRUARY  24,  1842. 


Under  tlie  Patronage  of  the  Aiueik-aai  Board  of  Coniniissioneo-s  for 

Foreign  Missions   from  1842-1857. 

Transferred  to  the  govermnent  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 

Missions  of  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  CliurLh 

in   Americii   in   June.   1857. 


BY  F^.  W.  P^ITCFiKR, 

]MJSSI0XA11Y  01''  THE   REFORMED  (DUTCH)   CMLPvCH 
AT    AMOY,    GHIXA. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE 

BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 
OF  TFIE  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA, 

25   EAST   TWEXTY-SECOND   STREET, 

NEW  YORK. 

1893. 


OP 

Rev.  J.  V.  N.  TALMAGE,  D.D.,  Veteran  Missionary, 

whose  memory  will  ever  remaiu  fragTaut  in  the  hearts  of 
those  who  had  the  pleasure  of  being  co-laborers  with 
him,  as  well  as  in  the  hearts  of  those  wlio  walk  with 
Ood  through  the  Word  he  preached  unto  them,  this  re- 
view is  most  affectionately  dedicated. 


CONTENTS. 


CilAFTEE  I. 

INTRODUCTION-A  SURVEY  OF  THE  WORK 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

HISTORICAL.    OUTLINE    OF    FOREIGN    MISSIONS    OF 
THE    REFORMED    (DUTCH)    CHURCH 17 

CHAPTER  III. 

HISTORY  OF   MISSIONS  IN  CHINA.... 21 

CHAPTEK  IV. 
AMOY • 25 

CHAPTER  V. 
KOLONGSU 44 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  DOORS  OF  AMOY  OPENED.. 47 

CHAPTEK  VII. 

IX)UNDING  OF  THE  AMOY   MISSION 58 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    SUCCESSION    OF    MISSIONARIES 62 

CHAPTER  IX. 

MISSIONARY    METHODS    AND    AGENCIES 90 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  CHURCH    OF   CHRIST   IN   CHINA 92 


\y  FIFTY  YEARS  IX  AMOY. 

ciiAPTEii  xr. 

THE   xint:   churches 9» 

CHAPTER  XI r. 

THE  BENEVOLENCE  OF  THE  AMOY  CH  rUCHES 128 

CHAPTER  XII r. 

TWO  NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS 134 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
MEDICAL     WORK 161 

CHAPTER  XV. 

EDUCATIONAL    WORK 168 

APPENDIX 200 

INDEX    ....   204 


AUTHOR'S     PREKACK. 


Tlio  purpose  ol  this  little  volume  is,  fii*st :  To  acquaint 
the  churches  with  a  history  of  the  origin  and  progress 
of  the  Amoy  Mission,  China,  and  with  some  of  tlie  im- 
portant politic-al  events  insepai*ably  connected  there- 
with ;  and,  secondly- :  To  arouse  a  deeper  interest  in  the 
salvation  of,  and  a  deeper  respect  for,  the  people  amongst 
whom  the  Mission  is  established. 

Its  author  would  simply  say  tliat  he  has  been  led  to 
attempt  this  history  for  these  two  reiisons,  viz  : 

(Ij  Because  no  such  history  exists. 

(2)  Because  the  close  of  fifty  years  seems  most  oppor- 
tune to  record  that  history. 

The  volume  claims  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  plain 
narration  of  facts  that  the  autlior  has  gathered  by  a  per- 
sonal relation  with  the  work,  and  such  as  he  has  been: 
able  to  glean  from  the  following  sources :  The  Annual 
Reports  of  General  Synod  of  tJie  Reformed  Cliurch,  the 
"Missionary  Herald, "  Manual  of  the  Reformed  Qiurcli  in 
America,  History  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions,  1842,  William's  Middle  Kingdom,  History 
of  the  Insurrection  in  Qiina,  the  "Christian  Intelli- 
gencer," Annals  of  the  American  Reformed  Dutch  Pulpit,, 
and  other  works  mentioned  herein. 

The  author  feels  under  obligation  to  Revs.  A.  P.  Van 
Gieson,  D.  D.,  and  Wm.  Bancroft  Hill,  of  Poughkeepsie,. 
N.  Y.,  for  so  generously  placing  their  libraries  at  his 
disposal,  and  to  the  former  for  otlier  courtesies  and  help- 


8  FIB^rV  YEARS  IN  AMOV. 

fill  suggestions  as  well  ;  and  to  Rev.  Win.  Wurts,  of 
Berno,  N.  Y.,  for  kind  assistance  in  gathering  personal 
infoi'niation.  Acknowledgments  are  also  due  to  Rev. 
Elbert  Nevius,  of  Stnyvesant,  N.  Y. ;  Rev.  J.  B.  Drury, 
D.  D.,  Editor  of  the  "Christian  Intelligencer"  ;  Mr.  Wm. 
Adriance.  of  Elniira,  N.  \'.,  and  to  members  of  the  Ainoy 
Mission  for  ;i  helping  hand. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  in  tJie  spelling  of  Chinese  names 
no  harmonious  system  has  been  adopted  by  the  Mission- 
aries of  China;  the  endeavor  has  therefore  been  made  to 
follow  a  system  of  spelling  conforming  somewliat  to  the 
Amoy  Romanized  Colloquial. 

The  illustratione  are  a  selection  from  a  series  of  pho- 
tographs collected  while  engaged  in  the  work  at  Amoy, 
and  it  is  with  the  hope  of  both  increasing  the  value  and 
interest  of  the  book,  that  so  many  are  incoi-porated 
therein. 

If,  therefore,  the  book  can  in  any  way  fulfill  its  pur- 
pose by  promoting  the  great  and  good  object  for  which 
the  Amoy  Mission  exists,  the  labor  herein  expended  will 
not  have  been  in  vain.  For  such  reward  only,  the 
author  earnestly  seeks.  P.  W.  P. 

Poughkeepsie,  Aug.   1st,   1893. 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTEODUCmON-A  SrEVFA'  OF  THE  WORK. 

A  review-  of  fifty  years  of  toil— a  half  century 
of  faithful  service  in  any  one  of  the  Master's 
vineyards,  must  contain  much  of  interest,  much 
of  encoui-agement,  and  much  of  inspiration  for 
those  who  are  engaged  in  the  building  up  of 
Christs'  Kingdom,  by  set^ldng  the  lost  ones  in 
this  sin-stricken  world.  But  is  there  not  an 
added  interest,  encouragement,  and  inspiration 
attending  a  re\'iew  of  fifty  years  of  labor— the 
founding  and  successful  carrying  forward  of  a 
work  in  a  land  of  heathen  darkness,  in  that  land 
where  idolatry,  superstition,  and  sin  in  blackest 
•forms  have  existed  side  by  side  for  four  thou- 
sand years  and  more — the  Kingdom  of  China? 

There  is  no  thrilling  romance  connected  with 
missions  in  Amoy.  Excitement  and  anxiety  have 
not  been  entirely  out  of  our  borders,  yet  dangers 
and  i)erils  have  never  encompassed  our  (hvell- 
ings.  There  has  been  no  startling  evolution  out 
of  heathenism,  no  >ast  strides  made  toward  new 
an<l  better  ways  and  methods  in  the  fields  of 
Amioy.  It  has  been  sIoaa  but  sure  progress. 
There  may  be  little  or  nothing  to  call  forth  ap- 
plause in  behalf  of  the  silent  plodders  and  toil- 
ers who  have  spent  their  lives  without  ostenta- 
tion in  this  ^'ineyard,  yet  when  the  record  is 
fully  read,   much   will  be  discovered  that  will 


10  FIFTY     VEARS    IN    AMOY. 

aANJikeii  coinnieiidation  and  inspiration  to  go 
forward  and  coniplet/e  what  thej  have  so  well 
begun. 

While  it  has  not  been  battle-axes  and  fire- 
brands of  Avild  and  uncivilized  tribes  that  have 
threatened  and  demanded  attention,  it  has  been 
hosts  upon  hosts  who,  clinging  to  a  system  of 
vforship  hoai-y  with  age,  ha\'e  Avi-itten  upon  their 
faces  and  hearts  stolid  indifference  and  blank 
unconsciousness,  Avhich  has  required  long  and 
tedious  years  of  patient  waiting  for  signs  of 
yielding,  and  which  has  required  quite  as  much 
courage  to  face  as  the  sharper  and  sliorter  con- 
flict with  savagery,  a  fact  that  is  not  ahvays 
recognized. 

Yet  this  is  not  man's  work,  but  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  that  we  review,  so  we  may 
sound  the  highest  notes  of  praise  our  lips  and 
hearts  can  raise.  No  one  can  read  the  history 
of  the  Amoy  Mission  without  recognizing  the 
hand  of  Jehovah  guiding  and  blessing  all  tlie 
way.  They  who  ha\e  labored  there  have  only 
been  His  instruments — vessels  for  His  use — suf- 
ficiently luujored  to  be  such  and  nothing  more, 
and  glad  if  iu  any  way  they  have  fulfille<l  His 
purpose,  in  seeking  and  bringing  back  these  lost 
ones  into  His  fold  and  into  eternal  life  through 
His  Son.  For  of  Him,  and  through  Him,  and 
to  Him  are  all  things,  to  whom  he  the  glory  for- 
e\ei'.    Amen.    (Kom.  i.,  3(i.) 

And  noAv,  in  this  Jubilee  year,  the  redeemed 
of  the  Ix)rd,  of  ''The  Church  of  Clirist''  in  Amoy, 
China,  \\'ould  sound  the  "yobel"  until  its  notes 


Residence  of  Rev.  Dr.  Abeel. 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

echo  the  world  around,  that  all  people  might 
know  that  the  Lord  is  bringing  His  redeemed 
ones  home.  He  has  made  them  to  feed  in  the 
way,  and  their  pastures  have  been  in  all  high 
places.  Their  hunger  has  been  satisfied,  their 
thirst  quenched.  The  sun  has  poured  down 
upon  them  only  gentle  rays,  for  He  that  had 
mercy  upon  them  hath  led  them,  even  by  the 
springs  of  water  hath  He  guided  them.  The 
mountains  have  been  made  a  way  tmd  the  high- 
w-ays  exalted.  And,  behold!  they  come  from 
afar,  from  the  north  and  from  the  west,  aind 
these  from  the  land  of  Sinim.  Sing,  O  heavens, 
and  be  joyful,  O  earth;  and  break  forth  into 
singing,  ()  mountains;  for  the  Lord  hath  com- 
forted His  peo|)le,  aud  will  have  mercy  upon  the 
aiiiicted.    (Isa.  xlix.) 

Just  fifty  years  ago,  February  24th,  1842,  Dr. 
David  Abeel  first  planted  the  standard  of  the 
cross  on  Kolongsu,  a  small  island  lying  off  from 
Amoy  about  one  furlong.  Possessed  with  un- 
bounded faith,  he  began  what  must  have  ap- 
peared to  the  outer  A\orld  an  insurnionntable 
task.  I^ut  he  believed  tlmt  nothing  was  too 
hard  for  God,  so  with  an  unfaltering  trust,  and 
unsliaken  confidence  in  the  covenant-keeping 
Loi'd,  he  laid  the  foundations  of  a  work  that 
the  Church  may  Avell  view  with  satisfaction  and 
becoming  pride. 

Traders  and  merchants  nmy  have  laughed  at 
him  ^^hile  they  scoilhngly  said:  'VSo  you  will 
make  the  Chinese  Christians?"  Let  the  records 
answer. 


12  FIFTV    l-EAES    IN    AMOY. 

To-day  there  are  in  the  territory  of  the  Amoy 
Mission  3,000  conmmnicants,  8,000  to  10,000  ad- 
herents, 20  organized  churches,  150  ordained 
and  unordained  native  jjastors  and  helpers, 
3  Fotreign  Missionary  Societies  represented,  50 
male  and  female  missionai'ies  at  work,  4  hos- 
pitals, 2  theological  schools,  2  high  schools  for 
boys,  4  girls'  schools,  2  schools  for  women,  and 
a  score  or  more  of  parochial  schools  and  numer- 
ous chapels  and  churches  scattered  everywhere. 
Of  tliis  enumeration,  there  are  under  the  par- 
ticulai'  care  and  supervision  of  the  Missionaries 
of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Re- 
formed (Dutch)  Church,  968  communicants,^ 
9  organized^  and  (practically)  self-supporting 
churches,  9  ordained  native  pastors,  10  unor- 
dained native  helpers,  12  teachers,  23  regular 
preacliing  places,  1  theological  seniinai^y,^  1 
academy,  2  parcKdiial  schools,  1  school  for 
women,  2  girls'  schools,  1  hospital,  and  18  male 
and  female  missionaries  at  work.  Yet  another 
item  for  which  we  can  nevei-  cease  rejoicing. 
These  churches  (of  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church) 
during  these  fifty  years  have  contributed  about 
$50,000,  and  in  1891  their  benevolence  reached 
the  magnificent  sum  of  .13,882.08.-* 

Such  facts  and  figures  are  sutiicient  to  awaken 
throughout  the  whole  Church  one  song  of  praise, 
and  should  constrain  us  all  to  join  the  chorus  of 

(1)  1893,  1,008  communicants. 

(2)  1893,  10  churclie.s. 

(3)  The  tiheological  seminary  and  academy  are  under  Uie  super- 
intendence of  tlie  English  Presbyterian  and  Keformed  (Dutch) 
Church   Mission. 

(4)  1893,  $3,894.80. 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

our  brethren  in  Amoy,  as  tliey  remember  the 
works  of  the  Lord.  It  was  a  gi'eat  pleasure  to 
every  member  of  the  Mission,  and  to  the  native 
church  as  well,  to  have  our  beloved  secretary, 
Dr.  Henry  N.  Cobb,  and  Miss  Cobb,  and  their 
companions''  with  us  during  this  Jubilee  year. 
And  it  mHist  have  been  a  source  of  great  satis- 
faction to  Dr.  Cobb  to  behold  Avith  his  oAvn  eyes 
some  of  the  results  of  tiie  mar\'elous  things  the 
Lord  had  wrought  this  half  century  in  Amoy, 
and  to  liear  Avith  his  owa  ears  the  testimony  of 
those  Avho  had  given  up  all  their  idols  and  turned 
aside  from  the  paths  of  darkness,  to  serve  the 
itrue  God,  and  to  walk  forever  in  the  paths  of 
light. 

These  are  gTeat  events,  yet  all  have  taken 
I)lace  in  a  lifetime.  One  of  our  missionaries  Avas 
permitted  to  Avitness  the  entire  history,  save 
five  years,  of  tlie  work  at  Amoy.  Dr.  David 
Ab^l,  Eevs.  E.  Doty  and  W.  J.  Pohlman  ]jassed 
aAvay,  and  to  their  rcAvard,  Avhile  the  Avork  was 
yet  in  its  infancy,  but  to  Dr.  Talmage  alone  was 
the  beautiful  vision  granted  of  watching  and  be- 
holding the  Avork  nearly  from  its  inception  to 
the  A^ery  close  of  fifty  years.  And  to  us  has 
been  afforded  the  beautiful  sight  of  beholding 
two  such  eminent  and  godly  men  as  Dr.  Abeel 
-and  Dr.  Talmage  standing,  the  one  on  the 
threshold  and  the  other  at  the  close  of  fifty 
years'  work  for  the  Master  in  Amoy.  They 
clasp  hands  over  the  intervening  years,  while 

(5)  Miss  M.  Celeste  AVeed,  Miss  Margaret  B.  Thorne,  Mr. 
Samuel  Thorne,  Jr.,  Mr.  S.  B.  Thorne. 


14  FIFTV    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

from  their  lives  we  receive  inspiration  and  cour- 
age to  go  forward  as  we  stand  on  the  threshold 
of  another  fifty  years.  O'verarciiing  these  lives 
a  bow  of  brightest  colors  seems  to  span  the  skies 
— and  that  bow  is  full  of  promise  of  Ohina'a 
full  sal  Nation.  For  on  that  bow  is  transcribed 
the  words  of  the  Psalmist  when  he  was  bearing 
the  Ark  into  that  former  impregnable  fortress 
of  Jebus:  "Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  even 
lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  and  the  King 
of  Glory  shall  conie  in."  We  rejoice  also  in 
that  greater  work  that  lias  been  done  in  the  Em- 
pire. A  half  century  ago  there  \^■el•e  only  six 
converts  in  the  whole  Empire  of  China.  At  the 
expiration  of  fifty  years  we  find  there  are  38,000 
comumnicauts,^  150,000  adherents,  500  organ- 
ized churches,  1*11  ordained  and  1,-6G  unor- 
dained  native  pastors  and  helpers,  40  different 
societies  represented,  1,290  Diale  and  female  mis- 
sionaries  at  ^\'ork,  ()1  hospitals  and  44  dispen- 
saries, besides  numerous  schools  and  colleges  es- 
tablished.   (See  Appendix  A.) 

Such  statemeids,  though  by  no  ]neans  start- 
ling, will  do  to  banish  any  fears  or  unbelief  of 
China's  ultimate  i-edemption.  China  is  slow  by 
nature  and  slow  by  practice.  Time  seems 
to  be  of  no  consequence  with  them.  Since  the 
prize  is  so  great  we  can  afford  to  be  patient  and 
not  be  ha.stdy  disheartened.  Slow  progress, 
but  sure  progress,  may  be  expected. 

The  Japanese  have  been  compared  to  the  im- 
pulsive and  inconstant  French,  while  the  Chi- 

(6)  1893,  over  40,000  conununicants. 


INTKODUCTION. 


15 


1890. 


1880. 


1870. 


1860. 


2,000 


1850. 
a50  11842. 


COMPARATIVE    GROWTH    OF    NATIVE    COMMUNICANTS 
IN    FIFTY   YEARS. 


1()  FIFTY'    YEARS     IN    AMOY. 

nese  compare  favorably  with  the  sturdy  and  en- 
(hiring  Saxon.  "They  have  their  staying  quali- 
ties/' "They  never  give  ui).''  Once'set  out  to 
accomplish  a  i)ui'pose,  accomplish  it  they  will, 
though  centuries  are  required  to  accomplish  it. 
The  foUowing  story  fully  illustrates  one  of  the- 
chief  characteristics  of  the  Chinese. 

A  noted  general,  who  commanded  the  forces 
of  the  Chinese  army  in  the  war  against  Eussia, 
"aAvay  over  in  Central  Asia,"  came  to  a  desert 
covered  with  liun<lreds  of  miles  of  sand,  '^with 
here  and  there  an  oasis."  This  desert  lay  be- 
tween his  army  and  the  ''province  A\here  the 
military  operations  were  to  be  carried  on.  They 
could  not  get  pro\isions  across  to  the  armies 
that  were  fighting  the  Russians,  so  Avljat  did. 
the}'  do?  Why,  this  old  gentleman  set  himself 
to  planting  colonies  of  Chinese  soldiers  in  these 
oases,  and  they  planted  crops  year  after  year. 
So  they  pushed  their  AMiy  along.  He  wasn't 
in  a  huny;  he  knew  the  Russians  would  wait 
there  for  him,  and  when  he  got  his  crops  all 
ready  tlien  he  moved  his  armies  on  over  these- 
oases  AA'ith  a  base  of  supplies  a  good  deal  more 
complete  than  General  Sherman  had  in  his 
march  do\Nii  to  Atlanta.  Then  he  engaged  in 
all  those  hard-fought  battles  in  which  the  Chi- 
nese armies  did  not  suffer."  Such  a  people  once 
won  for  Christ  will  wield  a  power  which  will 
be  felt,  not  only  throughout  Asia,  but  through- 
out the  whole  world. 


Rev,  Henry  N.  Cobb,  D.  D., 

Rev.  Jap-Han  Chiong  (front)  , 

J.  A.  Otte,  M.  D.,   Ng  Ma  Hui  (back.) 


CHAPTEE  II. 


HISTORICAL  OUTLINE  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF 
THE  REFORMED  (DUTCH)  CHURCH. 

According  to  the  records,  the  Reformed 
(Dutch)  Church  has  always  possessed  the  mis- 
sionary s])irit,  but  the  first  records  of  any  for- 
eign missionary  organization  is  made  in  tlie 
year  1817.  At  that  time  the  United  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  composed  of  Presbyterian^ 
Associate  Reformed,  and  Reformed  (Dutch)  de- 
nominations, Avas  founded  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  the  (Jrospel  to  the  heathen. 

This  society  continued  in  existence  nine  years, 
when  in  1820,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the 
Board  of  Managers,  the  General  Synod  trans- 
ferred its  interest  in  the  Society  to  the  Ameri- 
can Board  of  Connnissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions.    . 

In  1830  the  (jeneral  Synod  sought  closer  re- 
lations with  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  and  after  a 
conference  between  rei)resentative  committees 
of  the  two  Boards,  a  plan  of  co-operation  Avas 
adopted  in  October,  1832.  By  this  plan  the 
Genei'al  Synod  reserved  the  right,  first:  Of 
using  the  funds  they  appropriated  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  missionaries  of  their  own  recom- 
mendation, though  the  appointing  power  still  re- 
mained vested  in  the  Prudential  Committee  of 


18  FIFIV    YEAKS    IX    AMOV. 

the  A.  B.  C.  y.  M.;  and  second:  of  forming  ''sl 
new  an<l  distinct  mission,  with  a  distinct  ecclesi- 
astical organization,  according  to  their  own 
i\dshes,"  and  the  privilege  of  using  funds  and 
men  of  the  Board  at  their  own  discretion  for 
tlie  maintenance  of  such  Avork. 

This  very  liberal  agreement  and  co-operaticm 
remained  in  force  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
They  were  twenty -five  years  of  delightful  fel- 
lowship, with  love  and  confidence  unbroken, 
Tvith  not  the  least  sign  of  unbrotherly  or  un- 
xjhristian  jars  or  contentions. 

At  Ithaca,  June,  1857,  (leneral  Synod  estab- 
lished its  own  independent  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  w^hich  has  ever  since  carried  on  the 
missionary  operations  of  the  Beformed  (Dutch) 
Chnrch.  The  two  missions  that  were  to  come 
under  its  immediate  supervision  were  tlie  Amoy 
lyiission,  China  (See  Appendix  B),  and  the  Arcot 
Mission,  India,  and  along  these  lines  (and  with 
Japan  later)  the  history  of  the  Missions  in  this 
Chnrch  has  followed  during  these  fifty  years. 


THE    OKKilNAL    MEMBERS    AND    OFFI- 
CERS  OF  THE  BOARD   OF   FOREIGN 
MISSIONS     OF     THE     REFORMED 
(DUTCH)  CHURCH  IN  1857. 

MEJNIBERS. 

Eev.  Isaac   Ferris,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  Demarest,  Jr., 

Rev.  Thos.  DeWitt,  D.  D.,  Rev.A.P.VanGieson,D.D., 

Rev.  E.  P.  Rogers,  D.  D.,  ReV.D.McL.  Quackenbusli, 

Rev.  D.  H.  Riddle,  D.  D.,  Hon.  T.  Freliiighuysen, 

Eev.  H.  R.  WiUsoQ,  D.  D.,  Mr.  Win.  B.  Crosby. 

Rev.  D.  D.  Demarest,  U.D.,  Rev.  J.  E.  Moore, 

Rev.  J.  H.  Berg,  D.  D.,  Rev.  C.  S.  Little, 


HISTORICAL  OUTLINE.  1^ 

Rev.  J.  M.  Strong,  D.  D.,     liev.  A.  J.  Beekiiian, 
Eev.  W.J. R.Taylor,  D.D.,    Rev.  S.  Van  Kensseler, 
Rev.   W.   W.   Halloway,        Rev.  A.  B.  Preston, 
Rev.  A.  R.  Thompson,  Rev.  S.  Cobb, 

Rev. 'P.  Peltz,  Rev.  J.  J.  Johnston, 

Ezra  A.  Hoyt. 
OFFICERS. 

Hon.  Theo.  Frelinghuysen,  Pieeident. 

Rev.  Tlionias  DeWitt,  D.  D.,  Vice-President. 

Rev.  Isaac  Ferris,  D.  D.,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Rev.  Plulip  Peltz,  Sec'y  of  Domestic  Correspondence. 

Rev.  Jeremiali  S.   Lovel,  D.  D.,  Recording  Secretary. 

Mr.  Ezra  A.  lloyt,  Treasurer. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 
Rev.  T.  DeWitt,  D.  D.,  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Crosby, 

Rev.  D.  H.  Riddle,  D.  D.,     Rev.  S.  Cobb, 
Rev.  J.  S.  Lord,  D.  D.,        Rev.  A.  B.  Preston, 
Rev.  W.  W.  Halloway,  Rev.  A.  J.  Beekman, 

Rev.A.R.Thompsim,  D.  D.,    Rev.  J.  E.  Moore, 


MEMBEKS     a:ND      OFFICERS      OF      THE 
BOAKl)    OF   FOREIGN   MISSIONS 

OF  THE 
REFORMED    (DUTCH)    CHURCH   IX    1892. 

MEMBERS. 
Rev.  A.P.VanGieson,  D.D.,   Mr.  D,  Jack>son  Ste^vard, 
Rev.  C.  L.  Well8,  D.  D.,      Hon.  N.  F.  Graves, 
Rev.  :M.  II.  Hutton,  D.  D.,    Mr.  O.  H.  Tiebout, 
Rev.  J.  F.  Riggs,  D.  D.,         Mr.  John  C.  Giffing, 
Rev.  A. R.Thompson,  D.  D.,    Mr.  Wm.  L.  Brower, 
Rev.  Lewis  Francis,  Mr.  Henry  I^tcli,  Jr., 

Rev.  Wm.  R.  Duryee,  D.  D.,   Mr.  Joseph  C.  Pool, 
Rev.  E.  G.  Read,  Mr.  W.  L.  M.  Phelps, 

Rev.  J.  H.  Wliiteliead,  Rev.  J.  H.  Oerter,  D.  D., 

Rev.  T.W.  Chambers,  D.D.,     Mr.  Pet*'r  Donald, 
Rev.  T.  S.  Brown,  Mr.  F.  S.  Douglas, 

Rev.  P.  Stryker,  D.  D.,  Mr.  Chas.  L.  Ricker»ju_ 

OFFICERS. 
Rev.  T.  W.  Chambers,  D.  D.,  I'resident. 
Rev.  M.  H.  Hutton,  D.  D.,  Vice-President. 
Rev.  C.  L.  Wells,  D.  D.,  Recording  Secretary. 


20  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

Eev.  John  M.  Ferris,  D.  D.,  Hon.  Secretary. 

Eev.  Henry  N.  Cobb,  D.  D.,  Corresponding  Secretary, 
25  Eaet  2 2d  St.,  New  York. 

Mr.  Peter  Donald,   Treasurer,    25  East  2 2d  St.,  New 
Yorlr. 

EXECUTIVE    COAEVIITl^EE. 
Rev.A.  R.ThompS)ii,  D.  1).,    .Nfr.  Peter  Donald, 
Eev.  Lewis  Francis,  Mr.  Cha*s.  L.  Eickersou. 

Eev.  C.  L.  Wells,  D.  D.,        Mr.  F.  S.  Douglas, 
Eev.  M.  11.  Hutton,  D.  D.,    Air.  Joseph  C.  Pool, 
Rev.  E.  G.  Eead,  Mr.  John  C.  Giffing, 

MEDICAJL  ADVISEES. 

Henry  R.  Baldwin,  M.  D.,  New^  Brunswick. 

E.  G.  Janeway,  M.  D.,  New  York. 


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CELAPTKR    III. 


HISTORY  OF  mSSIONS  IN  CHINA. 
The  first  missionary  enterprise  among  th^ 
Cliinese  was  conducted  by  the  Nestorians  as 
early  as  the  sixth  century,  A.  D.,  and  their  work 
was  so  firmly  establislie<l  that,  notwithstanding 
tlie  fierce  persecutions  that  shattered  their  or- 
ganizations and  scattered  their  converts  and 
turned  "their  places  of  worship  into  heatheoi 
temples/'  way  down  in  the  seventeenth  century 
traces  of  it  are  said  to  have  been  found.  It  is 
said  that  several  of  tlie  Emperors  of  the  Tong 
Dynasty  (GIT-DOG i  favored  these  early  misslon- 
ai-ies  and  ''had  copies  of  the  Bible  translated 
and  placed  in  the  library  of  the  palace." 

In  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century  the 
Eoman  Catliolic  Church  began  its  worli,  but  did 
not  meet  -with  much  success  until  the  arrival 
of  Matteo  Ricci,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  who 
was  a  noted  matliematician  as  well  as  priest, 
and  who  seemed  to  have  made  a  profound  im- 
pression upon  the  Chinese  hy  his  scholarly  mind, 
and  gained  much  favor  for  his  sect.  Great  suc- 
cess followed  his  efforts,  and  before  persecution 
fell  upon  them,  they  intimated  that  they  were 
successful  in  organizing  300  churches,  with  a 
membership  of  300,000  converts. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  (1723)  the  Govern- 
ment became  wearied  with  their  intrigues  and 


22  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

contentions,  and  ordered  that  all,  except  a  few 
of  their  best  niatliematicians,shoiil(l  be  banished 
to  Macao.  But  the  work  was  kept  alive  by  na- 
tive catechists,  and  by  secret  visits  of  priests 
from  Europe. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  the  Greek  Church 
became  established  at  the  Cai)itol,  but  it  is  only 
in  recent  years  that  they  have  made  any  vigor- 
ous attempts  in  making  converts. 

^Modern  Protestant  Missions  began  under  the 
auspices  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  of 
Great  Britain,  who  sent  ou^t  Dr.  Robert  Morri- 
son in  January,  1807,  and  who  aiTived  in  Can- 
ton (Kwang-tung  Province,  i.  e.,  the  most  south- 
east province  of  China)  September,  18077"^ 
<^The  next  year  he  took  upon  himself  added 
duties  and  became  translator  of  the  East  Indian 
Company.  In  1814  Dr.  Morrison  baptized  his 
first  convert,  and  in  the  same  year  issued  the 
]S^ew  Testament  in  Chinese.  In  1818,  assisted 
by  Rev.  Wm.  Milne,  who  arrived  at  Canton  in 
1813,  he  issued  the  whole  Bible  in  that  lan- 
guage. Dr.  Morrison's  labors  were  confined  to 
Canton,  and  even  thei"e,  were  greatly  cir-cum- 
scribed.  \ 

The  first  American  Society  (and  tiie  second  in 
the  Empire)  to  begin  missionary  work  in  Cliina. 
was  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  who  sent  out  Rev. 
Elijah  C.  Bridgman  and  Rev.  David  Abeel  (con- 
ditionally) in  October,  1829,  and  who  arrived  at 
Macao  February  0th,  1830,  and  at  Canton  Feb- 
ruary 25th,   1830. 

Rev.  E.  C.  Bridgman  \\'as  the  fii'st  e; liter  of 


HISTOEY   OF  .AnSSIONS    IN    CHINA.  23 

tlie  "Chinese  Repositoiy,'-  which  was  issued 
for  the  first  time  iMay  31st,  1831,  under  tlie  di- 
rection of  an  organization  called  the  "Chrisr 
tian  Union, "founded  by  Drs. Morrison  and  Abeel 
aud  others.  The  object  of  this  Union  was  to 
diffuse  Christian  knowledge  and  useful  knowl- 
edge concerning  the  Chinese  among  English 
readers.  And  this  was  done  through  the  col- 
umns of  the  "'Chinese  Repository."  This  pen- 
odical  changed  its  name  in  later  years  to  the 
penodical  issued  now,  viz.:  "The  Chinese  Re- 
corder." 

The  year  1834  ^^'as  noted  for  two  important 
events.  (1)  The  death  of  Dr.  Morrison.  (2)  The 
first  persecution  upon  the  native  Christiana. 

The  anthorities  became  aronsed  on  account  of 
the  work  missionaries  liad  already  accomplished 
and  took  measnres  at  once  to  stop  any  further 
increase  by  issuing  a  jjroclamation  condemning 
the  'traitorous  natives"  \\'ho  had  taught  the 
foreigners  the  Chinese  langnage.  ^subsequently 
their  arrest  was  ordei*ed,  an<l  all  printed  matter 
'destroyed.  Much  valuable  material,  as  Avell  its 
the  labor  of  years,  was  thus  demolished,  and 
the  little  band  of  converts  and  a  school  of  boys 
dispersed.  The  next  year  (1835)  the  printing 
press,  and  \Ahat  remained  of  the  type,  was  re- 
moved to  Singapore,  where  the  tracts  and  other 
books  were  thereafter  issued.  Five  Chinamen 
went  along  as  printers. 

The  story  of  those  early  years  of  pioneer  work 
is  tJirilling  juid  intensely  interesting,  but  we 
must  onlv  linger  for  a  moment  over  those  events. 


24  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

Various  tiMi)s  were  made  along  the  coast,  ex- 
tending to  the  Province  of  Shantung,  Central 
China.  Once  the  missionaries  visited  the  City 
of  Shanghai  and  distributed  4,000  tracts.  The 
first  visit  to  the  interior  was  probably  made  by 
Messrs.  Steven  and  Gutzlaff  and  an  English 
gentleman  in  ^Jay,  1835,  by  Siiiling  up  the  Min 
Eiver,  in  the  Fukien  Pro>'ince.  They  only  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  se\enty  miles  west  of  Foo- 
chau,  when  they  were  hred  upon  by  Chines© 
soldiers  and  compelled  to  return,  suffering  only 
to  the  extent  of  having  one  of  their  crew 
wounded. 

Thus  the  Axork  continued  until  the  barricaded 
doors  sAN'ung  open  and  the  walls  of  separation 
began  to  crmnble. 

Other  societies  rapidly  followed  in  establish- 
ing themselves  in  the  land  of  the  celestials,  viz.: 
The  third  society  to  find  a  footing  m  the  Ein- 
pire  was  the  American  Baptist,  North,  1834. 
The  fourth:  American  Protestant  Episcopal, 
1835.  The  fifth:  American  I^resbyterian,  North, 
1835.  And  sixth :  The  Reformed  (Dutch)  Churchy 
1842,  at  Amoy. 


Amoy  City. 


CHAPTER   IV 


MIOY 


Amoy  is  the  name  of  an  island,  a  city,  and 
is  also  applied  to  the  disti-ict  occupied  by  onr 
Mission,  hence  the  name:  Anioy  Mission. 

Amoy  Island  lies  just  off  of  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  Fukien  Province  (and  forms  a  part 
of  itj,  in  the  Formosa  Channel.  The  island  is 
12  miles  long,  10  broad  and  30  in  circumference. 
The  surface  is  extremely  rough  and  rugged. 
Great  boulders  and  high  rock-capped  hills 
stretch  out  before  the  vision  in  a  line  of  un- 
broken profusion,  making  a  landsca.pe  that  is 
wild,  if  not  pleasing.  A>getation  is  scarce.  The 
Chinese  farms  must  be  conhned  to  the  very  small 
patches  of  ground  that  lie  in  the  vallej^s  or 
nestle  by  the  hillside.  The  only  thioigs  that 
seem  to  tlourish  are  men,  women  and  children. 
They  abound.  One  hundred  and  forty  villages 
are  hidden  away  somev\'here  amongst  these  hills 
and  rocks — ^just  where  is  too  great  a  mystery 
for  human  eyes  to  penetrate — ^^lth  an  estimated 
population  of  400,000.  In  three  of  these 
villages,  viz.  Kang-thau,  Kio-thau  and  Chhan- 
chliu-oa,  are  chapels  connected "  ^\dth  the  Re- 
formed (Dutch)  Church  Mission,  where  congi*e- 
gations  meet  every  Sabbath  to  worship  the  true 
God. 

Amoy  City  is  a  commercial  port,  situated  on 


26  FllTV    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

the  soutlieru  i)oint  of  the  island,  nortJL  latitude 
24^*  28*,  about  one  degree  above  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer,  east  longitude  118"  10*.  Its  latitude  is 
almost  identiciilly  the  same  as  that  of  Key 
AVest,  Florida,  24"  30*.  It  is  located  about  300 
miles  north  of  Hong-Kong,  150  miles  south  of 
Foochau  (the  Capitol  of  the  Province),  550 
ndles  south  of  Shanghai,  and  1,100  miles  from 
Pekin  (these  are  English  miles  and  in  a  straight 
course). 

The  seasons  are  four:  Spring,  summer,  autmim 
and  winter;  or  it  may  be  classified  in  two,  viz.: 
Wet  and  dry.  Spring  begins  in  February,  sum- 
mer in  June,  fall  in  October,  winter  in  Decem- 
ber. The  si)ring  is  <lecidedly  moist,  the  summer 
broiling,  the  late  fall  and  early  winter  delight- 
ful. NAMien  the  weather  gets  at  it,  it  sticks  to 
it  on  the  s;une  tack  for  one  hundred  and  twenty 
days.  There  is  no  rise  or  fall  in  the  mercury 
of  20  degrees  in  twenty-four  hours,  if  you  please, 
.and  for  those  who  object  to  sudden  (dianges, 
here  is  a  perfect  elysiumi. 

The  rainy  season  keeps  it  up  four  or  five 
months.  It  lias  been  knoAvn  to  pour  for  forty 
days  at  a  stretch,  reminding  one  very  forcibly 
of  the  days  of  Noah. 

The  summer  runs  on  the  same  schedule.  Four 
months  of  hot  weather,  v^ith  75  or  80  per  cent 
of  humidity  thi'own  in  gratuitously,  is  a  s])ell 
of  weather  some  would  rather  read  about  than 
experience.  HoAve\er,  there  is  compensation  in 
all  things.  The  four  months  of  fall  and  winter, 
merged  into  one  season  of  delightful  California 


AMOY 


27 


weather  and  Italian  skies,  in  a  nieasnre  make 
up  for  all  the  cruel  things  one  has  had  to  endure 
before.  In  siinimer  the  mercury  goes  up  to  9G 
(in  the  shade),  and  in  muter  goes  down  to  47. 
Occasionally  there  is  frost. 

And  now  let  us  take  a  peep  into  the  city.  It 
has  a  population  of  several  ten-thousands— ac- 
cording to  the  accuracy  of  a  Chinaman.  That 
is  to  say,  that  is  close  enough  figuring  for  him 
—a  matter  of  one  or  two  thousands  more  or 
less  is  of  no  consequence. 

The  estimated  population  is  be;tween  sixty 
and  one  hmidred  thousaud.  If  that  statement 
is  any  clearer  than  the  former,  you  are  entitled 
to  all  the  satisfaction  you  can  derive  therefrom. 

Besides  the  foreign  business  houses,  banks 
and  Custom  House,  and  the  native  warehouses, 
stores  aud  shops,  there  are  four  nati\e  churches, 
supporting  their  own  pastoi's,  located  in  the 
city.  Two  of  the  churches,  viz.:  The  first  and 
second  churches  (Sin-Koe-a  and  Tek-Cliliiu- 
Kha)  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  Reformed 
(Dutch)  Church,  and  the  other  two  are  under 
the  supervision  of  the  London  Mission  Society. 
Services  are  held  there  every  Sabbath  at  9  a.  m. 
and  at  3 :30  p.  m.  A  weekly  prayer-meeting  is 
also  observed  in  each  church.  A  woman's  meet- 
ing is  held  twice  a  week,  as  well,  in  each  church, 
one  being  held  on  Sunday,  which  is  conducted 
by  the  pastor's  wife,  and  the  other  held  on  a 
weekday  and  is  conducted  by  one  of  the  lady 
missionaries. 

There  are  also  two  hospitals  in  Amoy  city. 


28  i-IFTV    YEARS    IN    AMOV. 

One  under  the  support  of  the  English  Presby- 
terian Mission,  Dr.  A.  L.  Macleish  in  charge^ 
and  the  other  su})]Jorted  by  the  foreign  com- 
munity, Dr.  13.  S.  Ringer  in  charge. 

Anioy  has  a  re])iitation.  Fe^v  cities  have  not. 
It  is  reputed  to  be  the  dirtiest  city  in  China. 
Pit}'  the  city  that  is  laore  so.  From  all  ap- 
pearances, as  well  as  from  all  infonuatiou  that 
comes  through  the  olfactory  cliannel,  it  sustains 
tliat  re[)utation  admirably.  Happy  is  the  man 
in  China  Avhose  olfactory  ner\e  has  lost  its 
power.  To  our  knowledge,  there  is  but  one 
missionary  so  blessed,  and  he  is  the  most  de- 
voted missionary  on  the  ground.  This  may  ex- 
jdain  it. 

A  city.  Banish  from  your  minds  the  thought 
of  wide  avenues,  clean  sti-eets,  beautiful  pri- 
vate residences,  magnificent  public  buildings 
and  imposing  mercantile  houses.  Amoy  is  not 
built  in  tluit  wny.  Her  streets  are  as  crooked 
as  lum's  horns,  ever  winding  and  twisting,  de- 
scending and  ascending  and  finally  ending  in 
the  great  no\\iiere,  and  the  wayfai4ng  man, 
though  ^^•ise,  shall  err  therein.  There  is  no 
street  either  straight,  or  called  ''straigiit".  They 
do  not  make  them  that  way.     And  for  a  reason. 

Peo]de  have  an  idea  that  the  upper  world  is 
full  of  spirits — generally  evil — who,  if  allowed 
to  move  in  a  straight  line,  somebody  would  get 
hurt.  Hunum  beings  caimot  move  about  cor- 
ners and  sharp  turns  with  the  same  momentimi 
as  in  straight  lines.  No  more  ca<n  the  creatures 
of  the  upper  air.    Hence  the  turns  and  twists 


MIOY.  2» 

in  the  streets  of  Amoy,  so  as  to  ease  up  against 
the  force  of  the  bumps  of  these  wicked  spirits 
as  they  strike  poor  weak  and  human  creatures. 
Then  in  addition  to  the  crookedness,  the}'  must 
add  another  aggi-avation  by  making  them  like 
lemon-squeezers.  There  are  streets  in  Amoy  so 
narrow  that  you  cannot  carry  an  open  umbrella. 
The  aTerage  street  is  ab;)ut  four  feet  wide. 
Why  do  they  make  them  so  narrow?  To  keep 
out  the  sunshine.  They  do  it  effectually.  But 
the  princii)al  reason  for  their  narroAvness  is  for 
protection. 

It  is  a  noisy  and  a  busy  town.  A  real  Fourth 
of  July  celebration  is  going  on  continually. 
Through  the  nai*ro\\  thoroughfares,  with  their 
stall-like  shops  wide  open,  ^\ith  their  wares  in 
full  view,  the  multitudes  tramp  the  whole  day 
long,  while  the  whiz  and  bang  of  the  iii'e- 
pressible  fire-cracker  never  ceases.  Why  do 
they  shoot  tire-crackers?  To  make  a  noise. 
They  succeed  beautifully.  We  may  say,  how- 
ever, that  the  noise  is  made  for  the  purpose  of 
driving  away  the  evil  spirits. 

Pandemonium  reigns.  Gongs  are  sounding 
from  every  direction,  travelling  musicians  and 
theatre  orchestras  are  \ieing  with  ea<ch  other 
to  make  the  louder  noise,  hucksters  and  coolies 
are  shouting,  dogs  (with  which  the  land  abounds) 
are  barking  and  fighting,  and  with  a  street 
fight  (war  of  words,  generally)  and  side  shows, 
it  is  enough  to  bewilder  creatures  from  other 
lands  than  ours. 

The  port  of  Amoy  is  an  inii)ort{int  one,  being 


30  FIFTY'    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

the  fourth  in  importance  for  the  exportation  of 
tea  (the  most  of  it  being  brought  over  from 
Formosa).  It  is  only  in  recent  years  that  it 
has  reached  this  importance,  and  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  business  successes  are  in  no 
small  measure  indebted  to  the  influence  of  mis- 
sions. From  their  establishment  the  prog- 
ress has  l)een  rapid  and  continuous.  And 
if  only  the  effort  of  our  churches  had 
ke])t  ])ac'e  with  the  effort  of  commerce, 
Amoy  to-day  Avouhl  not  only  be  the  fourth  in  im- 
portance as  a  commercial  centre,  but  its  im- 
portance as  a  centre  of  Christian  influence  could 
not  be  estimated.  But  this  in  passing.  The 
trade  luis  gone  on  increasing  until  now  every 
year  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  tea  are 
shipped  from  this  port  to  America  and  England. 

It  is  no  uncommon  occurrence  for  vessels  to 
leave  with  1.000  tons  of  texL  at  a  time.  In  the 
latest  statistics  at  hand  it  is  reported  that  in 
one  year  5G0  vessels,  ^vith  an  aggi-egate  of 
224,436  tons,  entered  this  port,  bringing  sugar, 
rice,  raw  cotton,  hardware  and  oil  to  the  total 
value  of  19,577,135.  The  same  year  554  ves- 
sels cleared,  bearing  away  tea,  porcelain  and 
paper,  etc.,  to  the  total  value  of  15,720,230. 
Besides  this  there  is  an  immense  trade  carried 
on  by  Chinese  junks,  statistics  of  ^^'hich  cannot 
be  obtained. 

Amoy  has  been  one  of  the  conspicuous  names 
in  the  history  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  Being 
one  of  the  natural  entrepots  of  the  nation,  it  was 
early  brought  to  the  notice  of  foreign  Powders. 


A^IOY.  ^^ 


It  is  quite  likely  that  this  is  one  of  |the  very 
places  that  Ptolemy,  'Hhe  celebrated  geog^ 
raplier,"  mentions  in  his  writings  concernmg 
places  along  the  coast  of  Cliina.  Yet,  it  would 
be  profitless  to  even  attempt  to  verify  this,  or 
to  identify  satisfactorily  the  names  mentumed 
in  this  early  record.  But  still,  there  are  enough 
undisputed  facts  to  prove  that  Anioy  was  known 
to  the  traveller  and  the  merchants  in  tlie  very 
earliest  centuries  of  the  Christian  era. 

Amoy's  fame  has  been  made  world-wide  by 
siege  and  bombardment  and  captures. 

The  great  rebel  chief,  Ohing-Ohing-Kung 
(Koshiuga  or  Koxinga,  as  written  by  the  Portu- 
guese), chose  the  place  as  his  defence  against 
the  invasions  of  the  Manchus  in  tlie  seventeenth 
century,  and  here  fitted  out  an  ai-mament  to 
strengthen  himself  for  the  resistance.  Under 
the  combined  forces  of  the  Duteh  (who  had  a 
bone  to  pick  witli  him),  and  the  Manchus,  Amoy 
was  captured  in  1GG3,  and  the  subjugation  of 
th^,  Fukien  Pi'ovince  U.  the  Manchu^  power  was 
completed. 

The  East  India  Company  made  Amoy  one  of 
its  chief  commercial  centres,  and  in  1()78 
built  a  factory  here,  and  had  invested  (together 
Avith  a  place  on  Formosa)  |30,000  in  bullion 
and  ^-lOMO  in  goods.  A  successful  trade  \vas 
carried  on  until  1(381,  when  the  restrictions 
placed  upon  it  by  the  Manchus'  became  so  griev- 
ous that  they  were  compelled  to  remove  the 
factories  to  Canton  and  Foochau.    Tirade,  how- 

(1)    Also  Tartars. 


32  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

ever,  at  Aiuoy  was  renewed  in  11)85.  But  tlie 
most  important  event  in  the  history  of  Amoy 
was  its  capture  by  the  British  forces  in  1841, 
during  the  time  of  the  ''opium   war." 

Soon  after  the  capture  of  Canton,  the  British 
forces,-  '^consistino^  of  two  74s  and  seven  other 
ships  of  ^^'ar,  four  steamers,  twenty-three  trans- 
ports, aiifl  two  other  vevssels,  carrying  in  all 
3,500  troops,  under  the  joint  command  of  Sir 
Hugh  (lougli  and  Admiral  Parker,  moved  north- 
ward u])  the  China  coast  for  the  purpose  of  sub- 
duing the  nation."  Four  days  after  leaving 
Canton  the  whole  llotilla  (h^opped  anciior  in  the 
harbor  of  Amoy,  Aug.  25th,  1841.  The  British 
forces  had  not  been  unexpected,  and  extensive 
prei)arations  had  been  made  for  their  reception. 

"Every  island  and  protecting  headland  over- 
looking the  harbor  had  been  occupied  and 
armed,  and  a  continuous  line  of  s(tone  wall  more 
than  a  mile  long,  with  embrasures  roofed  by 
large  slabs  covered  with  earth  to  protect  the 
guns,  had  been  built,  and  batteries  and  bas- 
tions erected  at  well-chosen  points."  The  broad- 
sides of  the  ships  had  little  effect  on  these  stone 
walls. 

Twenty-four  thousand  rounds  from  the  two 
T4s,  "besides  the  dischai'ge  from  frigates  and 
steamers,"  failed  to  make  any  api)arent  im- 
pression upon  the  fortifications.  And  it  was 
not  until  the  troops  landed  and  drove  out  the 
garrison  that  the  forts  were  taken. 

Lack  of  discipline  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese, 

(2)    WUliams'    "Middle   Kingdom,"    Vol.    II. 


Amoy  Academy  Property. 


A^IOY.  33 

as  was  everywhere  tmanifested  in  this  unfort- 
imate  and  imjiist  Avar,  caused  them  to  lose  the 
battle,  and  on  the  27th  of  August,  1841,  the 
city  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  "All  the 
arms  and  public  stores,  consisting  of  powder, 
wall-pieces,  gingals,  matchlocks,  shields,  uni- 
forms, bows,  arrows,  spears  and  other  articles 
found  in  great  quantities  were  destroyed;  500 
cannon  were  found  in  the  forts."  The  Chinese 
forces  were  estimated  to  be  8,000  troops  and 
26  war  junks,  one  two-decker,  built  on  the  for- 
eign model  and  carrying  30  gmis.  Leaving  a 
detachment  of  550  troops  on  tlie  Island  of  Ko- 
longsu,  and  three  vessels  in  the  harbor  to  guard 
the  city,  the  flotilla  left  for  Chusan.  The  Brit- 
ish did  not  lose  a  man,  and  the  Chinese  not 
more  than  Mty,  in  the  conflict.^ 

The  Amo}'  district,  or,  to  be  more  correct, 
''the  territory  occupied  by  the  missions  at 
Amoy,-'  covers  an  area  of  country  equal  to  about 
120  square  miles,  includhig  the  two  large  cities 
of  Chiang-Chiu  ami  Choan-Chiu,  each  of  which 
is  larger  than  Amoy.  An  area  of  country  60 
miles  long  an;l  11  wide,  by  the  comity  of  mis- 
sions, is  under  the  supervision  of  the  Reformed 
(Dutch)  Church  Mission,  with  an  estimated  pop- 
ulation of  3,000,000  "If  the  cities  of  Boston, 
New  York,  Philatlelphia  an<l  Baltimore  were 
situated  in  a  valley  40  miles  long,  15  wide,  and 
the  whole  intervening  country  were  so  thickly 
studded  with  villages  that  a  man  should  never 
be  out  of  sight  of  one  or  more  of  them,  still 

(3)     Williams'    "Middle    Kingdom,"    Vol.    II. 


34  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

the  population  of  this  valley  would  not  be 
equal  to  the  number  of  souls  accessible  to  the 
missionary  from  Amoy."    (Annual  Report.) 

The  people  of  the  Amoy  district  are  an  in- 
dustrious and  a  very  peaceable  people. 

Mr.  Burlingame,  special  representative  of  the 
United  States  Government  to  the  Court  of 
China  in  1867,  after  his  return  to  America,  at  a 
public  dinner  tendered  to  him  by  the  merchants 
of  New  York,  in  a  speech  delivered  on  that  oc- 
casion made  use  of  the  followmg  language  in 
regard  to  the  people  of  China: 

"Tlie  'Chinese  are  a  great  people;  they  are  a 
polite  people,  they  are  a  patient  people,  they 
are  a  sober  people,  and  they  are  an  industrious 
people."  These  are  the  characteristics  of  the 
Amoy  people,  and  we  might  speak  of  every  one 
of  them,  but  suffice  it  to  speak  only  of  their  in- 
dustry and  their  peaceableness. 

"Idleness,"  it  has  been  well  said,  "is  not 
conspicuous."  As  John  Wesley  said  of  a  pros- 
perous and  a  successful  church,  so  it  may  be 
said  of  them:  "They  are  all  at  it,  and  always 
at  it" — toiling. 

From  the  dim  outlines  of  dawning  day  until 
the  shadows  have  wrapped  their  world  in  dark- 
ness the  hum  and  whir  of  traffic  pulsates 
through  every  town  and  village  of  this  district. 
And  week  in  and  week  out,  month  after  month, 
and  year  in  and  year  out,  excepting  two  or 
three  weeks  at  the  Chinese  New  Year,  those 
wheels  of  traffic  never  cease. 

We  are  not  praising  what  they  accomplish^ 


AMOY.  35 

neither  the  crude  metliods  they  employ,  nor  th© 
cruel  system  of  bondag'e  to  eternal  toil,  but 
only  mention  that  idleness,  as  we  term  the  char- 
acteristic, is  not  in  their  make-up. 

This  same  diligence  is  witnessed  amongst  the 
scholars  in  their  persistent  and  indefatigable 
zeal  to  obtain  a  coveted  degree — even  after  re- 
peated failures.  At  a  single  prefecture  ten 
thousand  candidates  present  themselves  at  the 
regular  examinations.  In  some  cases  there  will 
be  found  the  grandfather,  son  and  grandson,  all 
competing  for  the  same  degree.  In  1889  the 
Grovernor-General  of  the  Fukien  Province  re- 
ported that  at  the  autumnal  examination  in 
Foochau  there  were  nine  candidates  over  eighty 
years  of  age.  We  may  say  here  that  at  another 
examination  in  another  province  there  were 
thii'teen  candidates  over  eighty  years  and  one 
over  ninety  years  of  age.  At  still  another, 
thirty -live  comi)etitors  were  over  eighty  and 
eighteen  over  ninety.  We  have  nothing  to  say 
of  their  system  of  education,  so  grossly  de- 
fective and  circumscribed,  and  which  really  pro- 
duces only  a  few  readers  and  still  fewer  schol- 
ars, but  such  indomitable  perseverance  and 
pluck  along  elucational  lines  is  seldom  wit- 
nessed outside  of  China. 

Probably  there  was  no  intention  of  defining 
the  character  of  the  people  of  Fukien  by  the 
name  given  to  the  province.  The  meaning  of 
Fukien  may  be  rendered  "established  happi- 
ness.-' Fu,  happiness;  Ivien,  established.  If 
a  people  are  happy  they  are  usually  contented 


36  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

and  peaceable,  especially  when  that  happiness, 
is  established. 

If  such  a  reasoning  be  permissible,  then  maybe 
in  this  way  this  characteristic  of  the  Anioy 
people  at  least  niay  be  accounted  for. 

Whilst  both  north  and  south  there  has  been 
serious  trouble,  nothing  like  open  violence  and 
mob  forces  have  ever,  to  our  knowledge,  pre- 
sented themselves  m  the  Amoy  district.  A» 
noted  below,  in  these  after  pages,  the  disposi- 
tion toward  missionaries  from  the  start  has 
been  most  friendly,  and  whenever  there  has 
been  trouble,  it  has  been  stirred  up  by  the  rul- 
ing classes,  and  not  by  the  people.. 

Only  one  or  two  events  during  these  fifty 
years  have  occurred  to  disturb  this  tranquillity^ 
viz.,  The  Tai-peng  Rebellion  (1850-'64),  and  the 
"Anti- Missionary  Movement''  in  South  China 
(1871).  Possibly  to  these  should  be  added  the 
political  disturbances  occasioned  by  the  French 
war.  Whilst  these  movements  were  at  their 
height,  the  people  of  Amoy  were  more  or  less^ 
excited  and  ill-disposed  toward  the  foreigners. 
Still,  even  in  these  most  exasperating  times,  un- 
controlled  passion  never  gained  full  sway, 
neitlier  did  mobs  ever  threaten  our  dwellinf2;s. 

True,  we  have  never  poisessed  the  full  con- 
fidence of  this  people.  We  have  not  yet  reached 
that  happy  condition  of  having  our  presence 
among  them  above  suspicion.  Even  this  peace- 
able people  cannot  banish  from  their  minds  the 
idea  that  we  are  among  them,  not  as  those  who 
serve,  but  as  those  to  obtain  some  personal  or 


A^IOY.  37 

National  adyaiitage.  But  we  are  confident  that 
among  such  a  peaceable  people,  even  confidence 
will  be  established,  also. 

This  peaceableness  of  the  people  may  be  ac- 
counted for  in  another  Avay,  yiz. :  becausa  they 
have  never  been  brought  into  contact,  to  any 
great  extent,  with  foreign  nations. 

What  we  mean  is,  that  the  people  of  Amoy 
do  not  emigrate  to  Europe  or  America.  So 
they  are  not  cognizant  of  the  ill-treatment  their 
countrymen  receive  at  the  hands  of  so-called 
Christian  nations. 

The  Amo}^  people,  true  to  the  colonizing  in- 
stincts of  the  nation,  do  emigrate,  but  they  emi- 
grate to  ^ngapore,  Penang,  ^Manilla  and  the 
Dutch  possessions  of  the  East  Indies.  A  great 
number  go  to  these  places,  and,  like  good  and 
true  Americans  and  Europeans,  maintain  their 
citizenship  and  their  individuality,  get  rich  and 
come  back  to  Amoy  to  enjo}-  their  riches.  A 
people  more  like  the  Anglo-Saxon  one  will  have 
.0  search  far  to  find. 

They  emigrate  and  take  their  naticmality  with 
them.  Oh,  Americans,  do  you  dare  to  criticise 
them  for  this?  Make  them  Christians,  and  you 
will  have  another  Eastern  Anglo-Saxon  race,  in 
very  truth,  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  that 
will  speak  louder  in  actions  than  the  Western 
ever  did. 

The  people  of  Amoy  are  not  physically  strong 
in  appearance.  The  people  of  Southern  China 
are  less  robust,  shorter,  and  of  lighter  build 
than  the  people  of  the  North.      Yet  they  are 


38  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

hardy  and  an  enduring  people.  A  great  many 
old  i>eople  are  found  among  them. 

AVhen  we  consider  what  they  eat  and  how  thej 
labor,  it  is  surprising  they  do  live  to  be  eighty 
and  ninet}^  years  old.  Perhaps  it  is  the  quantity 
they  eat,  and  not  so  much  the  quality,  for  a 
Chinaman  thinks  nothing  of  seven  or  eight 
bowls  of  ric^,  as  a  bite. 

Their  principal  diet  consists  of  rice,  fish, 
pork,  sweet  x>otatoes,  pickled  vegetables  and 
green  vegetables.  Some  of  the  poor  folks  live 
on  sweet  potatoes,  and  others  on  such  shell  fish 
as  they  can  scrape  logetlier,  and  when  poverty 
presses  them  hard,  they  may  be  obliged  to  eat 
rats. 

But  let  it  be  understood  that  it  is  a  ridiculous 
idea,  and  prei)osterously  absurd,  for  any  one 
to  say  that  the  Chinese  are  a  race  that  delights 
in  eating  rats.  They  are  no  more  a  peoi)le  who 
eat  rats  tlian  the  American  people  are  a  people 
who  eat  frogs'  feet,  or  horse-flesh,  or  raw  jjork. 
The  Chinese  are  a  respectable  race,  a  race  with 
5,000  years  of  history  behind  them,  a  race  of 
wealth,  a  ra<!e  that  need  not  eat  rats,  and  they 
do  not. 

Amoy,  like  other  parts  of  China,  is  a  jjlace  of 
sharp  contrasts — the  comfortably  rich  and  the 
miserably-  poor,  the  highly  educated  (Chinese 
education)  and  the  utterly  ignorant,  living  side 
by  side. 

There  are,  however,  three  distinct  classes, 
even  as  they  are  divided  the  world  over,  viz.: 
the  high,  the  middle  and  the  lower.    There  is  no 


AMOY.  39 

such  thing  as  caste,  however;  the  different 
grades  of  society  are  open  to  all.  The  Chinese 
divide  themselves  up  into  scholars,  farmers, 
workmen  and  merchants.  A  still  better  divi- 
sion would  be  (1)  aristocracy,  (2)  merchants  and 
farmers,  and  (3)  the  laborers. 

In  the  aristocracy  are  included  the  Imperial 
familj^,  the  princes,  the  mandarins  and  the  lit- 
erati. 

The  homes  of  this  class  are  built  of  brick  and 
stone.  Whilst  the  architecture  is  ver}^  simple, 
yet  they  are  sometimes  most  exquisitely  deco- 
rated with  cartings  and  paintings  outwardly 
and  inwardly.  Sometimes,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
dwelling  on  Kolongsu,  these  are  built  in  suites 
of  dwellings,  arranged  around  open  courts,, 
some  to  accommodate  the  numerous  wives  and 
families,  others  for  guests  according  to  their 
rank,  others  for  secretaries  and  teachers,  and 
still  others  for  the  retainers  and  servants. 

For  furnitui'e,  carved  chairs,  hai'd  and  uncomi- 
fortable,  with  the  indispensable  tea-table  be- 
tween every  two,  are  arranged  about  the  room. 
Sometimes  there  are  settees  also.  The  walls  are 
loaded  with  scrolls  and  banners,  inscribed  on 
which  are  the  choice  words  of  China's  gi^eat 
Sage,  or  perhaps  phrases  lauding  the  virtues 
and  greatness  of  the  families  to  which  they  be- 
long, in  each  particular  instance. 

There  is  no  carpet  on  the  floor.  Tile  iloors 
are  the  fashion,  and  it  prevails  universally. 
There  are  no  bay  windows  or  balconies  attached 
to  these  houses,  and  until  recently  no  window- 


40  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

glass  was  employed  in  their  construction.  The 
light  nsually  travels  throngli  the  open  door  and 
apertures  in  the  wall,  which  are  called  win- 
dows, if  it  ever  at  all  gains  adnuttance  into 
these  houses.  At  the  present  time,  however, 
Chinese  houses,  of  the  richer  classes,  at  least, 
are  modernized  and  civilized  to  the  extent  of 
having  window-glass.  It  is  a  step  in  advance, 
a.nd  to  us,  who  watch  every  step  so  closely,  it 
indicates  an  onward  and  upward  stride  of  civil- 
ization and  Christianization,  slow  though  it  be 
and  not  always  apparent.  And  we  breathe  the 
prayer  that  the  windows  may  be  place<l  in  their 
souls,  so  that  the  true  light  may  shine  in  and 
scatter  all  the  darkness  that  has  hung  so  long 
and  so  hea^aly  upon  them. 

In  the  middle  class,  i.  e.,  merchants  and  farm- 
ers, are  included  the  bankers,  merchants,  clerks, 
teachers  and  farmers.  Their  homes  gener- 
ally are  less  elaborate  than  those  just  above 
them.  While  they  are  not  rich  as  a  class  (they 
are  poor,  a's  we  count  riches),  still,  some  of  these 
merchants  may  be  well  termed  ''merchant 
princes,"  and  their  homes  are  quite  as  grand  as 
any. 

In  this  class,  as  a  class,  we  find  a  nearer  ap- 
proach to  our  family  life  than  elsewhere  in 
China.  We  may  say  here  that  we  consider  this 
class  to  be  the  backbone  of  the  nation  and  the 
hope  of  the  Church.  And  it  is  of  this  material 
principally  that  our  Amoy  churches  are  com- 
posed. 

Generally  there  is  but  one  wife,  and  she  has 


AMOY.  4:1 

a  voice  in  tlie  domestic  affairs  of  the  liouseliold. 
She  may  also  possess  a  fair  education. 

The  business  of  the  country,  for  respectability, 
competition  and  honesty  wall  comi>are  favorably 
with  the  business  of  other  countries,  such  as 
manufacturing,  shipping  and  mercantile. 

There  are  no  more  clever  farmers  in  the  world. 
Their  farms  are  exceedingly  small,  compared 
with  Am.erican  farms.  They  ai'e  kept  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  and  around  about 
Amoy  are  expected  to  yield  two  crops  each  year. 

Their  little  farms  of  half  an  acre  to  .tlrree  or 
four  acres,  some  terraced  one  above  the  other 
up  the  hillside,  have  more  the  appearance  of 
garden  spots  than  otherwise. 

The  principal  products  about  Am.oy  are  rice, 
sugar-cane,  sweet  potatoes,  Irish  potatoes, 
beans,  peanuts,  peas,  cabbage  and  wheat.  Opium 
is  also  being  cultivated.  Fruit  abounds.  There 
are  orange,  baniLma  and  pumelo  orchards,  yield- 
ing their  delicious  products. 

Guavas,  persinmions,  cocoanuts  and  pine- 
apples, iigs  and  mangoes  are  cultivated  and  yield 
in  their  season.  Tea  is  not  extensively  raised. 
Most  of  the  tea  is  cultivated  in  Formosa  and 
trans-shipped  from  this  port.  The  farmer  is  the 
most  independent  and  most  respected  individual 
in  the  Empire. 

Ill  the  laboring  class  ai'e  included  the  carters^ 
farm  hands,  wheelbarrow  men,  chair-bearers^ 
boatmen  and  rmmers.  Theu*  homes  are  simply 
wretched.  No  pen  can  describe  them  as  they 
are,  for  one  cannot  transcribe  smells.    (This  is 


42  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

not  onl3^  applicable  to  the  homes  of  the  poor. 
In  every  home  odoriferous  sights  fill  earth  and 
sky.)  tSo  what  need  to  attempt  even  to  describe 
them.  All  we  need  say  is  that  if  one  wishes  to 
"witness  poverty,  misery,  in  grossest  forms,  visit 
the  homes  of  the  poor  of  China.  There  may  be 
places  where  more  filth  abounds,  but  for  down- 
right poverty,  bai*e  walls  and  floors,  one 
w^ould  have  to  search  far  to  find  their  equal. 
Yet  this  very  class  teach  us  two  beautiful  les- 
sons of  submission  and  liberality. 

Among  all  this  army  of  strugglers  very  few 
words  of  complaint  are  raised  above  the  hum  of 
toil  and  labor.  Like  some  wise  philosophers 
patiently  enduring  what  they  cannot  be  curing, 
this  mighty  host  of  sufferers  march  on  in  un- 
broken ranks,  toiling  on  and  on  under  most 
cruel  bondage.  Who  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing 
as  a  strike,  or  a  rebellion  against  capital 
amongst  their  number?  No  such  thing  is 
known.  They  are  not  a  nation  of  strikers  in 
any  sense.  They  are  plodders  and  toilers,  and 
the  nation  must  be  very  blind  that  casts  them 
off  for  strikers  and  rioters  and  rebels. 

We  have  not  a  few  of  this  class  enrolled 
among  our  church  members.  The  dear  Lord 
was  poor.  So  we  despised  not  these  i)oor  ones, 
even  though  they  be  Chinamen.  It  is  from  them 
that  some  princely  sums  are  cast  into  the  Lord's 
treasury. 

No  more  beautiful  sight,  no  more  encouraging 
sign  can  be  afforded  than  this,  showing  how 
deeply  rooted  the  Word  of  Grod  has  become  in 


AMOY, 


4a 


the  heart  of  this  people  when  they  give  their 
dollars  out  of  such  poverty  for  the  Lord's  work. 
We  have  reserved  another  place  to  speak  more 
fully  of  their  benevolence,  so  there  is  no  need  to 
speak  further  here. 

We  do  sometimes  wonder  what  kind  of  crowns 
these  will  wear,  Avhat  places  they  Avill  occupy 
in  that  upper  Kingdom.  We,  w^ho  see  the  con- 
dition in  which  they  live  and  the  magnificent 
Slims  they  give,  imagine  it  will  be  a  very  bright 
crown,  sparkling  with  jewels.  And  we  im- 
agine, too,  that  some  of  them  will  have  a  plaxie 
very  near  the  great  white  throne. 


CHAPTEE  Y 


KOLONGSU. 


The  meaning  of  this  word  is  ^'The  Drum  Wave 
Island."  Ko,  drum;  long,  a  rushing  stream  of 
water;  su,  an  island.  It  is  supposed  to  receive 
its  name  from  a  part  of  the  island,  where  there 
is  a  hollo w^ed  rock,  through  which  the  waters 
of  the  sea  rush,  producing  a  sound  like  drum- 
ming. 

On  a  gi'eat  pile  of  high  rocks  (in  the  centre  of 
the  island),  lifting  their  grey  heads  300  feet 
into  the  air,  there  is  an  inscription,  the  meaning 
of  which  is:  Kolongsu  is  the  most  delightful 
spot  under  heaven, 

Kolongsu  lies  just  off  south  from  the  city 
of  Amoy — about  one  furlong.  It  was  at  first 
considered  more  unhealthy  than  the  city  of 
Amoy,  with  all  its  filth  and  /iirt.  When 
the  British  soldiers  attacked  Amoy,  they  sta- 
tioned themselves  on  this  island.  They  died 
off  by  hundreds,  stricken  down  by  fever,  and 
to  them  and  the  early  missionaries  it  seemed 
nothing  less  than  a  death-trap.  Dr.  Abeel,  Mx. 
Doty  and  Mr.  Pohlman  first  resided  there,  but 
on  September  22,  1844,  they  all  moved  over  to 
Amoy.  And  there  in  the  city,  on  the  water's 
side,  they  built  their  homes,  which  can  be  seen 
to  this  day.  After  twenty  years'  residence  in 
Amoy,    the   missionaries    discovere<l   that   Ko- 


^^0"^^ 


iiiA 


Part  of  Kolongsu. 


KOLONGSU.  45 

longsu  was  a  inucli  more  healtliy  spot  than 
Amoy.  Tliis  was  not  because  tlie  conditions  of 
Kolongsu  had  changed,  but  it  was  because  the 
missionaries  and  sohliers  in  former  days  had  to 
occupy  Chinese  homes,  which  are  bad  enough 
themselves,  but  thrice  nninliabit£ible  when  sit- 
uated in  damp,  low  places.  It  was  all  right 
when  they  got  up  on  the  hilltops.  Tlie  resident 
physician  condemned  the  houses  in  which  the 
missionaries  were  living  in  Amoy  in  the  year 
1865,  and  then  they  began  turning  their  atten- 
tion to  Kolongsu  once  more.  The  Mission  wrote 
home,  asking  for  1 0,000  to  buy  a  site  on  which 
to  build  a  house  on  this  island.  In  1867  the  site 
wsb^  secured,  and  the  building  so  long  occupied 
by,  and  called  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Dr. 
Talmage's  residence,  was  erected.  ~Now  all  the 
foreigners  (about  250  English,  Portuguese  and 
Americans)  reside  on  this  island,  and,  although 
they  have  not  found  it  ^'the  most  delightful 
spot  under  heaven,"  they  have  found  it  tlie  best 
and  most  comfortable  place  for  sixty  miles 
around.  Here  are  located,  too,  the  higher  edu- 
cational institutions  of  the  three  missions,  viz.: 
Theological  seminary,  boys'  academy,  girls' 
schools,  Charlotte  Duryee  Vv^o man's  Training 
School,  and  the  Children's  Home  (orphanage). 
The  Douglas  Memorial,  erected  in  1880  to  the 
memory  of  Carstairs  Douglas,  member  of  the 
English  Presbyterian  Mission,  is  located  on  this 
island.  The  students  of  all  our  schools,  with 
native  Christians  residing  ion  the  island,  meet  in 
this  building  every  Sabbath  for  public  worship. 


46  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    xVMOY. 

There  is  also  a  union  cliapel  on  the  island, 
AA^here  English  services  are  conducted  every  Bab- 
bath  by  the  missionaries.  There  are  also  con- 
sulates, hotels  and  stores  on  the  island. 

And  besides,  on  this  same  island  there  are 
three  distinct  Chinese  villages,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  four  or  tive  thousand. 

Kolongsu  is  a  little*  more  than  a  mile  long  'and 
half  a  mile  wide. 

A  road  committee  Iveeps  a  road  that  goes 
round  the  island  in  good  condition,  and  as  this 
is  the  only  civilized  thoroughfare  for  miles 
around,  it  is  appreciated  and  enjoyed. 


Group  of  School  Children,  Kolongsu. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  DOORS  OF  AMOY  OPENED. 

For  many  years  China  was  nothing  more  than 
a  hermit  Kingdom.  She  shut  herself  off  en- 
tirely from  the  outside  "barbaric"  world.  Her 
walls  were  high  and  strong,  and  ever^-  door  her- 
metically sealed  against  all  intrusion  of  the  for- 
eigner. 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  as  w^e  have 
seen,  the  missionaries  Morrison,  Milne,  Bridg- 
man  and  Abeel  began  knocking  at  the  barri- 
caded gates  of  the  Empire  for  adndssion  to 
preach  the  e>'erlasting  riches  of  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ.  But  for  years  they  were  obliged 
to  confine  their  labors  to  the  suburbs  of  Can- 
tou  and  the  island  of  Macao  (a  small  island  off 
the  southern  coast  of  China),  and  the  bleak  and 
rocky  coast  of  the  Empire.  In  no  other  places 
in  the  vast  nation  were  missionaries  tolerated. 

This  seclusion  was  persistently  maintained 
until  the  year  184.0,  A\'hen  the  chariots  of  an  un- 
just war  came  rolling  up  against  these  hitherto 
impregnable  ^Nalls.  The  history  of  this  war, 
so  extraordinary  in  its  origin,  so  marvelous  in 
its  course,  so  momentous  in  its  results,  not  only 
forms  one  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in 
the  world's  history,  but  the  consequences  of 
that  war  itself  upon  millions  of  mankind  have 


48  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

placed  it  amongst  the  most  important  chapters 
as  welL 

Originating  in  a  '' commercial  misunderstand- 
ing/' waged  between  "conscious  superiority'^ 
on  the  one  side,  and  ''ignorant  ]3ride"  on  the 
other,  and  resulting  in  bringing  one-half  of  the 
world  into  intercourse  witli  the  other,  demajids 
more  than  a  ])assing  notice.  Let  us  confine  our- 
selves, however,  as  briefly  as  possible  to  the 
origin  and  results  of  that  war  that  led  to  the 
opening  of  the  barricaded  doors  (-f  China. 

To  fully  understand  the  situation  it  is  neces- 
8a.ry  to  go  back  in  history  and  discover  what 
relations  China  held  with  foreign  nations  before 
the  ships  from  England  touched  her  shores. 
Early  did  the  Romans,  Greeks,  Mohammedans 
and  Phoenecians  spread  their  sails  and  speed 
a^^ay  for  far  off  Cathay  to  traffic  with  its  in- 
habitants. And  there  is  a  record  of  a  commis- 
sion being  sent  by  Marcus  Antonius  to  tlie  coun- 
try "  producing  the  rich  silks  so  much  prized  in 
Rome."  In  1254,  A.  D.,  two  Venetian  gentle- 
men, Nicolo  Polo  (father  of  Marco  Polo)  and 
Matteo  Polo  visited  China  and  were  Mildly  wel- 
comed by  the  Grrand  Khan,  as  the  Emperor  was 
then  called.  Subsequently  Marco  Polo  \i-sited 
China  and  remained  twenty -five  years.  He  be- 
came a  great  favorite  with  the  Emperor  and  was 
made  one  of  his  officers,  which  goes  to  show  the 
good  feeling  the  Emi)eror  had  toward  foreigners. 

So  far  as  the  records  reveal,  the  intercourse 
between  these  nations  was  above  suspicion  and 
distinist,  and  uurestrained  commercial  relations 


THE   DOORS   OF  A]MOY   OPENED.  4D 

extended  to  all  who  came  to  trade  Tvitli  them,  for 
twenty  centuries  at  least.  In  the  seventeenth 
century  (A.  D.)  new  powers  began  to  send  forth 
their  ships,  plowing  the  great  waters  in  search 
of  conquest  and  new  territory.  Spanish,  Dutch, 
French,  Portuguese  and  English  sent  forth  their 
navies  in  search  of  new  territory  and  to  conquer 
the  world  if  necessary  for  their  respective  gov- 
ernments. 

China  began  to  look  with  suspicion  on  these 
proceedings.  And  who  can  blame  her?  She 
watched  Avith  eager  interest  the  events  that 
were  taking  place  ^'in  the  neighboring  regions 
of  Lnconia,  Java  and  India,"  and  the  cruel  ti'eat- 
ment  the  victors  visited  upon  the  vanquished. 

Being  \Aitnesses  of  such  scenes,  as  they  stood 
on  their  watch-towers  of  their  nation's  de- 
fences, is  it  strange  that  the  doors  and  gates 
of  China  suddenly  swung  shut,  and  were  seale<l 
and  barricaded  against  the  intrusion  of  the 
avaricious  foreigners?  As  unto  Luconia,  Java 
ajid  the  isles  of  the  sea,  so  must  be  the  ultimate 
purpose  of  these  sea  kings  concerning  them. 

Who  shall  say  that  any  other  policy  would 
not  have  been  suicidal?  Had  she  pursued  any 
other  course  the  hour  of  doom  to  her  inde- 
pendence would  surely  have  struck,  and  her  au- 
thority over  her  subjects  have  ceased  forever, 
and  the  nation  long  ago  have  crumbled  to 
pieces  and  their  territory  be  possessed  by 
others.  Why?  "The  belief  entertained  by 
Europeans  at  that  period,  that  the  Pope  had 
the  right  to  dispose  of  all  pagan  lands,  only 


50  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

wanted  men  and  means  to  be  everywhere  car- 
ried into  effect."  And  the  probability  is  that 
had  Chnia  allowed  these  Spanish  and  Portu- 
guese and  other  colonists  to  settle  at  will 
in  her  domain,  the  Chinese  nation  would 
long  ago  have  been  swept  into  that  oblivion 
where  so  many  other  gi-eat  nations  are  buried. 
Who  can  criticise  her,  then,  for  instituting  such 
strict  measures  under  the  circumstances  for  her 
own  self-preservation,  even  to  making  herself  a 
hermit  nation  for  nearlv  two  centuries? 

When  the  history  of  China  is  fully  written  it 
will  be  the  most  wonderful  history  of  the  most 
^^•ondel'ful  peo]jle  that  ever  engaged  the  mind 
of  men.  And  when  that  people  are  full3^  under- 
stood there  will  be  little  to  criticise,  much  to 
applaud  and  much  to  esteem.  Five  thousand 
years  have  rolled  away,  and  yet  of  all  the  na- 
tions of  the  world,  China  is  the  least  under- 
stood and  the  most  shamefully  judged  and 
ti'eated. 

Not  yet  is  the  fulness  of  time  Avith  her.  The 
hour  of  her  greatness  and  due  appreciation  has 
not  yet  sounded  over  the  world.  But  if  any  one 
can  read  the  signs  of  the  times  aright,  that  hour 
is  soon  to  come.  Some  day  this  naition  will  stand 
out  the  mightiest  and  strongest  nation  of  the 
world,  and  let  us  hope'  and  pray  and  work  that 
it  will  be  the  best,  best  civilized  and  the  best 
Christianized  nation  on  the  face  of  God's  earth. 

With  these  few  observations  in  mind,  we  may 
now  consider  the  opium  war.  After  the  expira- 
tion of  the  privilege  granted  by  charter  to  the 


TPIE   DOORS   OF   AJVIOY   OPENED.  51 

Eas:t  India  Coiiiijaiiy  in  1834,  and  by  vihich  they 
had  enjoyed  a  monopoly  for  nearly  two  cen- 
turies in  carrying  on  trade  at  Macao  and  Can- 
ton, the  English  Government  sought  to  renew 
these  commercial  relations  in  such  a  manner 
that  all  British  merchants  might  have  a  share 
of  the  trade  with  the  Chinese  people. 

To  this  end  the  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Napier  was  sent 
to  China  to  commence  negotiations  for  ^main- 
taining trade  on  a  ''  proper  footing."  He  arrived 
in  Macao,  July  15th,  1834,  and,  suffice  it  to  say, 
he  made  a  failure  of  the  enterprise  simi:>ly  on  ac- 
count of  lack  of  diplomatic  sldll.  He  faile<i  to 
comprehend  the  Chinese  w^ay  of  doing  things, 
and  the  Chinese  failed  to  comprehend  the  Eng- 
lish way  of  doing  things  as  w^ell.  The  Chinese 
were  arrogant  and  suspicious.  The  English 
were  none  the  less  arrogant,  but  less  slow. 
While  w^e  cannot  excuse  either,  there  was  less 
excuse  for  England  than  for  China.  Surely 
China  had  a  right,  that  England  did  not  there 
possess,  of  saying  how  and  in  what  manner 
things  should  be  done.  Lord  Napier,  instead  of 
waiting  at  Macao,  pushed  on  to  Canton  witliout 
official  permission  from  the  Chinese  authorities. 
This  was  too  great  an  affront  to  the  dignity  of 
the  Chinese,  and  set  in  motion  a  broil  and  dis- 
turbance that  eventually  resulted  in  w^ar. 

Lord  Napier  died  on  September  27th,  1834. 
The  nervous  strain  was  too  much  for  him,  and 
he  succumbed  under  tlie  trial.  Others  followed 
him,  but  it  was  not  until  April  12th,  1837,  that 
England  was  gran  tec  J  the  privileges  she  sought. 


52  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

But  at  this  time  trade  was  almost  entirely X20ii- 
fined  to  traffic  in  opium,  as  that  was  the  only 
article  that  would  sell.  And  some  of  the  Chinese 
as  ^vell  as  foTeiji;ners  were  ea^^rer  for  the  exten- 
sion of  the  sale,  as  it  brought  them  large  gains. 
And  every  effort  was  made  to  legalize  the  use 
thereof.  There  were  many,  however,  who  had 
the  welfare  of  the  nation  at  heart,  who  fought 
to  the  bittei'  end,  both  against  the  introduc- 
tion and  the  use  of  it  in  the  land.  No  truer  or 
stancher  frfend  had  the  Chinese  people  in  this 
trynio-  hour  than  the  Emperor  himself,  and  if 
his  government  had  been  the  stronger,  instead 
of  being  the  weaker,  opium  would  never  have 
lodged  itself  in  the  Celestial  Empire. 

The  natives  pleaded,  and  foreigners  argued, 
that  if  it  was  not  introduced  now,  some  other 
way  would  surely  be  opened  to  its  introduction; 
still  the  Emperor  and  his  good  advisers  re- 
sisted all  overtures  to  let  it  in,  or  legalize  its 
use. 

For  forty  years  the  Ooveniment  had  shown 
its  sincerity  of  wishing  to  keep  the  noxious 
poison  out;  yet,  in  spite  of  all  such  efforts,  so- 
called  Christian  merchants  and  monopolists  of 
Europe  persisted  in  smuggling  it  in,  and  finally 
forced  it  ui:>on  them  at  the  cannon's  mouth. 

And  the  Emperor  had  goo<l  grounds  for  re- 
sisting it.  He  looked  upon  it  as  a  design  (rightly 
or  wrongly,  as  the  case  may  be,)  of  the  foreigner 
introducing  opium,  in  order,  first:  to  so  debili- 
tate and  impoverish  the  people  that  resistance 
on  their  pai't  would  be  in  vain,  and,  secondly: 


THE  DOOES  OF  AMOY  OPENED.      53 

the  subjugation  of  the  nation  woiihl  easily  fol- 
low.   From  our  point  of  view,  the  surmise  was 
unjust;  but  who  can  sa3%  in  view  of  all  the 
events  that  were  transpiring  about  them,  that 
such  a  view  of  the  situation  was  unjust  from 
their  basis  of  observation?       This  impression 
gained  ground,  until  the  whole  nation  became 
aroused  against  foreign  intrusion.    Then,   too, 
this  impression  Avas  deepened  from  the  fact  tliat 
the  Chinese  saw  that   these   foreigners   never 
smoked  the  drug  themselves,  nor  was  it  used  in 
their  own  country.    What  else  could  it  mean  but 
this?    Then  the  baneful  effects  upon  |the  minds 
and  health  of  the  nation,  and  the  awful  drain- 
age of  .|!20,000,000  a  year  was  likewise  cause 
sufficient  to  awaken  conjectures  and  sound  the 
alarm  over  the  whole  domain.    And  so,  instead 
of  enacting  measures  to  legalize  the  sale  there- 
of, measures  %vere  at  once  instituted  to  restrain 
its  sale,  and,  if  possible,  banish  it  from  the  Em- 
pire.   But  the  evil  had  become  a  monster — too 
great,  as  the  result  proved,  for  the  power  and 
wisdom  of  the  Chinese  to  deal  wi^th.    Imprison- 
m.ent  and  execution  and  banishment  of  offenders 
proved  of  no  avail.      Finally,  on  the  18th  of 
March,   183^,   a  proclamation   was  issued,   de- 
manding the  surrender  of  all  the  opium  in  pos- 
session of  the  merchants,  and  bon<ls  required 
that  no  more  should  be  introduced  under  pen- 
alty of  death. 

Four  reasons  were  given  for  such  demand: 
(1)'  Because  they  were  men  and  had  reason. 
{2)  Because  the  law  forbade  its  use. 


54  FIFTY    YEAKS    IN    AMOY. 

(3)  Because  they  should  feel  for  those  who  suf- 
fered by  its  use. 

(4)  Because  of  the  present  duress  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

In  response  to  this  appeal,  1,037  chests  were 
delivered  up,  and  then,  on  March  27th,  1839, 
tjirough  Chas.  Elliot,  the  Englisli  representative, 
20,283  chests,  valued  at  |11,000,000,  were  passed 
over  to  the  Chinese  authorities.  But  the  bond 
was  never  signed,  though  an  agreement  had 
been  signed  by  most  of  the  foreign  merchants 
not  to  trade  in  opium  any  more.  This  agree- 
ment was  not  kept.  This  whole  quantity  was 
destroyed  by  the  Chinese  authorities  in  good 
faith,  and,  as  a  noted  historian  observed,  it  was 
"a  solitar}^  instance  in  the  history  of  the  world 
of  a  pagan  monarch  preferring  to  destroy  what 
would  injure  his  subjects  rather  than  to  fill  his 
own  pockets  with  the  sale."  In  addition,  sixteen 
persons — English,  American  and  Indian — prin- 
cipal agents  in  the  trade,  were  ordered  out  of 
the  country  and  told  never  to  return  again. 
But  the  opium  trade  was  not  banished  or  de- 
stroyed. 

Before  the  last  chest  \^'as  destroyed,  shiploads 
were  on  the  way  and  some  being  unloaded  on 
the  defenceless  shores.  And  it  kept  on  coming 
and  coming  until  the  two  nations  of  England 
and  China  were  plunged  in  a  cruel  and  destruc- 
tive war — cruel  and  destructive  alone  to  the 
Chinese  Government.  So,  willingly  or  unwill- 
ingly, the  Chinese  had  to  accept  the  evil. 

"  To  obtain  reparation  for  insults  and  injuries^ 


THE  DOOES  OF  AMOY  OPENED.      55 

for  indemnifications  of  losses,  and  for  future  se- 
curity and  protection,"  were  the  i^retexts  Eng- 
land offered  for  making  war  upon  a  w  eak  and 
powerless  nation.  Each  one  must  judge  how 
far  she  was  justifiable  in  such  an  action. 

Might  made  right  in  those  days,  and  before 
the  English  power  China  fell;  yet,  in  these  days, 
we  ^'enture  to  say,  such  action  would  not  be  tol- 
erated. Poor  China — we  say — after  all  her  care 
and  concern  for  her  subjects,  she  had  not  only 
to  accept  the  deadly  drng,  but  had  to  pay 
$21,000,000  (part  of  it  for  the  opium  that  was 
destroyed  in  April,  1839),  and  gave  up  the  island 
of  Hong-Kong  to  the  British  nation.  Let  others 
pass  their  verdict  on  such  justice. 

It  has  been  said  the  war  Avas  necessary  to 
break  tlie  arrogance  and  pride  of  the  Chinese 
people.  Perhaps  it  was.  Still,  we  do  in  all 
sincerity  ask,  would  not  the  result  have  been 
the  same,  and  more  happily  accomplished,  if,  in 
the  first  place,  the  East  India  Company,  and 
later  the  Eiiglisli  Government,  had  been  more 
zealous  in  the  diffusion  of  Christian  truth  and 
the  Word  of  God?  But  what  was  done?  For 
nearly  two  centuries  they  set  their  faces  against 
tiruth  and  rigiiteousness,  and  every  effort  made 
to  translate  the  Word  of  God  met  with  their  dis- 
approval and  bitter  opposition. 

The  affairs  of  nations,  as  well  as  of  individ- 
uals, are  in  the  hands  and  under  the  control 
of  the  Great  Kuler  of  the  universe.  W^ho  can 
read  in  all  this  history  anything  but  tlie  Al- 
might}^  ''accomplishing  His  great  and  wise  pur- 


56  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

pose  by  allowing  man  to  pnrsne  Ms  petty,  pri- 
Tate,  and  even  unjustifiable  ends?"  Beyond 
this  mystery  we  cannot  penetrate. 

But  this  no  more  excuses  the  nation  which 
battered  down  the  dooi^,  and  forced  the  vile 
opium  traffic  in  upon  China,  than  the  unfaith- 
ful disciple  was  excused  for  betrcaying  the 
Christ  to  perform  the  will  of  God. 

But  out  of  all  tliis  evil  God  brought  good. 
Canton,  Amoy,  Ningpo,  Foochau  and  KShanghai 
were  opened  for  foreign  tra-de  and  residence, 
and,  best  of  all,  for  the  introduction  of  the  Gos- 
pel. 

And  that  gospel  power  is  shining  fuller, 
stronger  and  brighter,  in  the  face  of  the  new 
difficulties  that  have  been  throwm  in  its  way 
by  the  introduction  of  opium  in  this  land  of 
heathen  darlmess.  It  is  able  to  save  unto  the 
uttennost,  therefore,  China — in  spite  of  opium. 

And  there  was  good,  too,  in  the  fact  that 
China  had  |to  deal  with  England  rather  than 
Russia  or  Turkey,  or  some  Mohammedan  or 
Roman  Catholic  power.  It  Avas  Protestant  Eng- 
land, and  whatever  else  may  be  said  of  her  in 
tliis  unfortunate  and  cruel  affair,  this  may  be 
truly  said:  That  wherever  England  goes,  there 
go  law^s,  protection,  freedom  and  libei-ty  of  con- 
science and  Christianity.  Had  Russian,  Span- 
ish or  Turkish  power  gotten  control  of  India, 
or  had  any  of  these  powders  battered  down  the 
w^alls  of  China,  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the 
celestial  Empire  w^ould  probably  have  been  far 
blacker  and  more  sad  tlian  they  are  in  this  day. 


THE  DOOES  OF  AMOY  OPENED.      57 

Every  missionary  lias  had  cause  more  than 
once  to  thank  God  that  the  British  flag  floats 
and  Avaves  over  the  Eastern  Seas  rather  than 
any  of  those  mentioned  above. 

Other  ports  were  opened  for  trade  and  resi- 
dence, and  to-day  the  doors  stand  wide  open, 
waiting  for  the  messenger  to  arrive,  bringing 
the  gospel  message  of  peace  and  good  will  to- 
ward all  men.  God  speed  the  day  when  the  for- 
eigner shall  force  out  of  the  Empire  that  same 
drug  that  they  forced  in— not  by  might,  but  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. 

By  the  Treaty  of  Tien-Tsin,  made  in  1858  and 
ratified  in  18G0,  ten  new  ports  were  opened  in 
China,  among  them  being  Tam-Sui,  Taiwanfoo, 
Swatow,  Cheefoo,  Tien-Tsin.  In  1878  there 
were  tw^enty-one  ports  opened  for  trade,  and 
permission  gTanted  to  all  foreigners  (18G0)  to 
travel  with  passports.  The  treaty  ports  to-day 
are,  viz.:  Amoy,  Canton,  Swatow,  Foochau, 
Mngi>o,  Shanghai,  Tien-Tsin,  Pekin,  Cheefoo, 
Hankow,  Ichang,  Chinkiang,  Tam-Sui,  Taiwan- 
foo, Keloong,  Takow,  Woohoo,  Woochau,  I^ew- 
chaAvang,  Kiukiang  and  Kiong-chiu. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FOUTsDING  OF  THE  AMOY  MISSION. 

While  General  Synod  was  in  session  in  New 
York,  in  1842,  a  comniunication  was  received 
from  Dr.  Abeel  (then  stationed  at  Macao),  giv- 
ing expression,  amongst  other  matters,  of  his 
confidence  that  China  wonld  soon  be  thrown 
open  for  the  entrance  of  missionaries,  and 
urged  that  steps  be  taken  for  the  occupation  of 
some  fi,eld,  as  a  centre  for  missionary  operations. 
Long  before  Synod  was  privileged  to  hear  this 
message,  Dr.  Abeel,  in  company  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Boone,  was  sailing  up  the  coast  of  China,  and 
on  the  2d  of  February,  1842,  landed  at  Hong- 
Kong.  After  a  short  stay  here  they  re-em- 
barked, still  journeying  up  the  coast,  until  on 
Thursday,  11  o'clock  a.  m.,  on  the  24th  of  Feb- 
ruaiy,  before  the  Treaty  of  Nankin  was  con- 
cluded, the}^  entered  the  port  of  Amoy,  and  as 
the  pioneer  standard-bearers  of  the  banners  of 
the  cross,  set  up  those  emblems  in  this  part  of 
that  benighted  land. 

Dr.  Abeel  immediately  took  up  his  residence 
on  the  island  of  Kolohgsu,  then  occupied  by  the 
British  troops.  The  house  that  he  occu- 
pied stands  to-day  in  good  repair,  underneath 
the  branches  of  a  great  and  large  banyan  tree. 
It  is  sort  of  a  relic,  or  an  heirloom,  which  we 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  AMOY  MISSION.  59 

think  shoiild  belong-  to  us.     When   Dr.   Abeel 
and  Bishop  Boone  liinded,  the  island  of  Kolong- 
su  was  in  possession  of  the  British  troops.  They 
were  received  Yery  kindly  by  Major  and  Mrs. 
Cowper,  and  tendered  every  hospitality  possi- 
ble.   Major  Cowper  escorted  Dr.  Abeel  about 
to  inspect  the  houses,  and  gave  him  his  choice 
where  he  might  peiinanently  establij^i  himself. 
But  there  was  not  much  choice,  as  the  English 
soldiers,  in  seai-ch  of  fire^^'0()d,  and  Chinese  like- 
wise in  search  of  plunder,  had  made  havoc  with 
them  all.     The   one  had   strip] )ed  them  of  all 
inflammable  material,  and  the  other  had  toni 
up  every  brick  on  the  floors  in  search  of  buried 
wealth.    But  a  choice  had  to  be  made,  and  Dr. 
Abeel  chose  this  house,  Avitli  a  Jarger  room  in 
the  centre  and  a  smaller  room  on  each  side.     On 
each  si<]e  of  the  entrance  there  is  also  an  inde- 
pendent projecting  building,   composed  of  one 
or  more  rooms  which  might  be  used  for  a  kitchen 
or  storeroom,  or  servant's  quarters.    As  soon  as 
possible  Dr.  Abeel  set  to  work  making  the  neces- 
sary repairs,  and  by  Saturday,  February  2()th, 
moved  in  and  took  posses>sion. 

In  addition  to  commencing  work  immediately 
amongst  the  Chinese,  Dr.  Abeel  gratuitously 
rendered  service  to  the  English  troops  by  con- 
ducting an  English  service  for  them  in  his  own 
house  from  time  to  time.  It  is  a  sacred  spot, 
for  here,  we  may  say,  was  born  the  grand  work 
AA'hich  our  eyes  are  permitted  to  witness  to- 
day. It  has  long  ago  passed  into  the  hands 
of  others,   and   save    by    one    man,    the    fact 


60  riFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

of  Dr.  Abeel  ever  having  lived  there  is  for- 
gotten. 

So  suspicions  are  the  present  occupants  of 
foreigners  that  when  a  party  of  missionaries- 
and  friends  desired  to  enter  and  let  their  eyes 
rest  for  a  moment  upon  the  rooms  where  this 
sainted  and  holy  man  lived,  they  wei^  absolutely 
denied  all  admission. 

One  week  after  their  arrival,  March  3d, 
they  made  their  first  visit  to  the  city  of 
Amoy.  The  cordiality  and  kindness  of  the  na- 
tives suri)a«sed  their  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. Unmolested,  they  were  allowed  to  hold 
services  and  distribute  religious  books  and  other 
literature. 

After  the  peace  was  declared  and  the  Treaty 
of  Nanldn  (1842)  concluded,  the  officials  and  dig- 
nitaries of  that  district  seemed  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  their  attempts  to  A^'elcome  the  mission- 
aries of  the  cross.  ''The  head  Mandarin,  the 
naval  commander-in-chief,  and  the  highest  civil 
authorities  invited  them  to  their  houses,  I'e- 
tiu-ned  their  visits,  received  their  books,  listened 
to  their  instructions,  accompanied  and  assisted 
them  in  their  excursions  into  the  surroundtug 
country.''  ''In  April  (1842)  the  Imperial  Power 
made  a  complete  change  of  rulers  at  Amoy. 
But  the  new  rulers  displa^^ed  to  the  mission- 
aries the  same  kindness  they  had  experienced 
from  their  predecessors.  They  even  aided  them 
in  procuring  conveyances  to  make  excursions 
further  and  more  extensive  than  could  be  al- 
lowed by  the  imperial  edicts.      They  were  re- 


FOUNDING  OF  THE  A^IOY  mSSION.  GI 

C€ived  by  the  people  with  equal  favor.  .Such 
confidence  they  inspired  that  at  one  time  two 
contending  villages,  instead  of  settling  their 
disputes,  accordmg  to  usual  custom,  by  combat, 
agreed  to  refer  their  differences  to  the  mission- 
aries, as  umpires." 

Thus  encouraged,  they  spurred  on  in  their 
course,  making  tours  into  the  neighboring  coun- 
try "as  far  as  the  city  of  Chiang-Chiu,"  twenty- 
five  miles  west  of  Amoy.  Preaching,  instruct- 
ing, social  prayer  meetings,  Bible  classes,  were 
the  order  of  the  day.  Instant  in  season  and  out 
of  season.  Dr.  Abeel  and  M;i\  Boone  went  every- 
where they  could,  teaching  and  preaching  "in 
His  name,"  until  the  22d  of  June,  1844,  when 
they  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  as  fellow- 
laborers  Rev.  Messrs.  Doty  and  Pohlman.  Dr. 
Abeel  was  not  permitted  to  witness  any  re- 
ward of  his  labor  in  Amoy.  On  tlie  24th  of 
January,  1845,  on  account  of  completely  shat- 
tered health,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the 
work  he  loved  and  set  out  upon  a  journey  home 
—and  there  the  Lord  called  him  to  serve  Him 
above,  September  4th,  184G. 


CHAPTER  A  III. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONARIES. 
DAVID    ABEEL,    D.    D.,    1842-'45. 

Dr.  Abeel  was  bom  at  New  Brunswick,  N.  J., 
June  12tli,  1804.  At  fifteen  years  of  age,  fail- 
ing to  secure  an  entrance  into  West  Point  Mili- 
tar}^  Academy,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  medicine.  It  Avas  Avliile  in  pursuance 
of  this  course  of  study  that  his  heart  was 
touched  by  Divine  gi'ace,  and  ever  after  lie  de- 
voted his  life  to  tlie  service  of  his  Master. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  the  autumn  of  1823, 
he  began  fitting-  himself  for  his  life-work  by 
entering  the  theological  seminary  at  New  Bruns- 
wick. After  a  preparation  of  three  years,  not 
only  in  the  ''  school  of  the  prophets/'  but  in  that 
school  of  personal  experience,  Avhere  cme  gets 
the  best  tuition  for  the  ministry,  viz.:  down 
among  the  sad  and  lonely  ones,  nunistering  unto 
the  poor,  "the  sick  and  afiiicted,''  he  began  his 
labors  in  the  little  village  of  Athens,  Green 
County,  N.  Y.,  May  26th,  1826. 

For  a  little  more  than  two  years  he  was  per- 
mitted to  labor  in  this  ^dneyard,  when  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  resign  and  seek  the 
warmer  airs  of  St.  Thomas,  of  the  West  Indies. 

Dr.  Abeel  was  a  conscientious,  deeply  spiritual 
man.  His  holy  life  was  a  power.  He  was  a 
man  of  much  prayer,  and,  like  Daniel  of  old, 


Rev.  David  Abeel,  D.  D. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONAEIES.         63 

would  retire  (luring  the  hours  of  the  day  and 
commune  with  his  Lord.  He  set  before  himself 
the  very  highest  and  best  ideal,  even  his  Mas- 
ter, Jesus  Christ.  Complete  self-consecration 
to  the  service  of  the  Master  in  the  promotion  of 
the  welfare  of  his  fellowmen  was  his  high  and 
holy  aim.  So  it  was  not  strange  that  his  mind 
often  reflected  upon  the  condition  of  the  heathen 
world,  and  that  in  the  first  flush  of  manhood  he 
heard  and  heeded  the  voices  calling  out  of 
darhness  bidding  him  to  come  over  and  help. 

Only  a  man  possessed  of  indomitable  pluck 
and  perseverance  and  eminent  piety  would  have 
braved  the  dangers  and  perils  that  David  Abeel 
did.  Never  robust  after  his  ministerial  labors 
at  Athens,  once  at  death's  door,  and  never  re^ 
covering  from  an  organic  affection  of  the  hearty 
yet  this  devoted  and  courageous  3^oung  soldier, 
undaunted  and  fearless,  pushed  on  bearing  the 
banners  of  the  cross  until  he  had  unfurled  those 
emblems  on  many  isles  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
and  the  heathen  lands  of  the  Orient.  On  the 
14th  of  October,  1829,  he  sailed  in  the  ship 
Eoman,  Capt.  Lavender,  from  New  York  for 
China,  and  after  four  months  and  eleven  days 
he  reached  Canton,  February  25th,  1830. 

Dr.  Abeel  went  out  under  the  patronage  oif 
the  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  but  at  the  same 
time  made  a  conditional  appointment  with  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  (who  were  about  to  establish  a 
mission  in  China),  viz.:  that  if  at  the  ^xpirai- 
tion  of  a  year  he  saw  the  way  opened,  and  felt 
it  his  duty  to  engage  in  missionary  work,  he 


64  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

would  sever  the  relations  with  the  S.  F.  S.  and 
devote  his  services  to  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M,. 

Dr.  Abeel  went  out  in  company  with  Elijah 
C.  Bridgman,  who  was  under  appointment  of 
the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 

Their  passage  and  support  for  one  year  was 
contributed  by  a  merchant,  David  W.  0.  Olyph- 
ant,  Esq.,  who  was  engaged  in  the  Canton  trade 
in  connection  with  Talbot  &  Co.,  of  New  York. 
He  was  deeply  interested  in  this  missionary  en- 
terprise, and  not  only  furnished  the  finances 
for  this  one  year,  but  it  was  by  his  presentation 
of  facts  and  arguments  that  the  work  was  com- 
m,ended  by  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  (1830).  This  was 
the  first  American  mission  represented  in  China. 

After  serving  the  vSeamen's  Friend  Society 
for  ten  months.  Dr.  Abeel  tendered  his  resig- 
nation, and  in  December,  1830,  transferred  his 
services  to  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  Then  began  his 
missionary  journeys  to  Java,  Siam,  Singapore, 
Malacca,  Borneo  and  the  different  islands  of  the 
Eastern  Archipelago,  and  finally  to  Amoy, 
China,  where  he  establishe;!  the  work  we  review 
toj-day.  Besides,  he  traveled  far  and  Vide, 
visiting  Christian  nations,  such  as  England, 
France,  Holland,  Prussia,  Switzerland  and 
America,  stirring  up  churches  and  awakening 
a  missionary  fervor  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of 
foreign  missions. 

He  died  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  September  4th, 
1846,  at  the  age  of  forty-two,  leading  the  mem- 
ory of  a  holy  and  consecrated  life  behind  him 
and  the  foundations  of  a  work  laid  deep  and 


Rev.   Elihu   Dotv 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONARIES.  65 

strong,  til  Jit  will  last  so  long  as  time  endures. 
^e  rests  from  Ms  labors  in  the  beautiful  ceme- 
tery of  Greenwood.  Brooklyn.  His  works  do  fol- 
low him. 

He  was  the  founder  of  the  Amoy  Mission, 
February  24th,  1842. 


REV.  ELIIIU  DOTY,  1844- '65. 

Mi\  Doty,  son  of  Stephen  and  Phebe  Nelson 
Doty,  was  born  at  Berne,  Albany  County,  N. 
Y.,  September  9th,  1809.  He  attended  the 
village  school  until  he  w^as  thirteen  years 
old,  when  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  store 
of  Jacob  Settle,  Berne,  N.  Y.,  and  remained 
with  him  until  he  w^as  nineteen  years  old. 
Faithful  in  his  duties,  he  was  honored  and 
loved  by  all.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  or  eigh- 
teen he  became  converted,  was  baptized  and 
received  into  communion  of  the  Reformed 
Church  at  Berne,  N.  Y.,  November  4th,  1827. 
The  first  seeds  of  his  missionary  life  were  im- 
planted in  his  heart  while  attending  the  Sab- 
bath-school of  this  chiu'ch,  and  after  his  con- 
version he  felt  it  to  be  his  solemn  duty  to  preach 
the  gosi^el  to  the  heathen.  He  shortly  after 
resigned  his  position  in  the  village  store,  and 
began  making  preparations  for  his  life-work 
by  studying  with  the  Rev.  Abram  H.  Meyers, 
at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Berne  church,  in 
order  to  enter  Rutger's  College.  While  at 
Berne  his  fellow-student  was  the  Hon.  Joseph 
P.  Bradley,  and  the  two  men  were  always  close 
friends.    He  entered  college  in  the  year  1830, 


66  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

when  he  was  about  twenty  years  ohl,  ''and 
npon  this  account  he  overleaped — not  by  his 
own  suggestion,  but  by  the  earnest  advice  of  all 
his  professors  of  the  college  and  seniinaiy — ^two 
years  of  the  collegiate  course."  He  probably 
entered  the  New  Brunswick  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  1833,  and  after  a  full  course,  gTaduated 
in  1836,  when  he  was  ordained  a  missionaiy, 
alnd  on  the  18th  of  June  of  the  same  year  em- 
barked for  Java,  where  he  was  appointed  to  be- 
gin  his  missionary  efforts. 

The  year  1836  marked  a  new  epoch  in  the^ 
history  of  foreign  missions  of  the  Reformed 
(Dutch j  Church.  A  deeper  and  a  wider  interest 
had  been  already  aroused  by  the  closer  union 
with  the  A.  l^.  C.  F.  M.  which  had  been  con- 
summated in  the  year  1832.  The  new  responsi- 
bility excited  the  entire  Church  to  a  greater 
earnestness  in  belialf  of  the  salvation  of  the 
heathen.  But  it  w^as  in  the  spring  of  ]836 
that  the  whole  Church  was  moved  to  a  greater 
consecration  than  ever  before.  This  AAas  occa- 
sioned by  the  announcement  that  four  young 
men,  viz.:  Elihu  Doty,  Elbert  Nevius,  Will- 
iam Youngblood  and  Jacob  Ennis,  of  the  New 
Brunswick  Theological  Seminary,  had  offered 
themselves  and  had  been  accepted  for  the  for- 
eign fiehl.  One  may  easily  imagine  how  deeply 
the  hearts  of  all  the  people  were  impressed  in 
the  early  history  of  missions  when  it  became 
fully  known  that  these  four  young  men  had  at 
one  time  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  foreign 
service  for  the  Master. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONAEIES.  G7 

On  the  30tli  of  May,  1836,  in  the  Michlle  Dutch 
'Church  in  New  York,  they  were  fonnally  set 
:apart  for  the  solemn  office  of  preaching  the 
Gospel  to  the  heathen,  and  there  received  their 
instructions  to  proceed  to  Java  to  found  a  mis- 
sion on  that  island,  hoping  thereby  to  receive 
favors  and  encouragements  from  the  Du;tch 
Oovernment  in  their  new  enterprise.  But  their 
reception  was  entirely  the  reverse  of  what  they 
had  expected.  Arrinng  at  Batavia  (Sept.  15th, 
183G),  the  jealousies  and  suspicions  of  .the  Dutch 
government  were  immediately  aroused,  and 
they  were  detained  for  more  than  a  year,  not 
being  allowed  to  proceed  with  their  labors. 
Finally  tney  were  allowed  to  proceed  and  locate 
their  mission  at  Borneo.  Mr.  Doty  started 
ahead  and  reached  Sambas,  June  17th,  1839. 
Mr.  Youngblood  arrived  September  19th  the 
«ame  year,  while  Mr.  Nevius,  on  account  of  the 
ill-health  of  his  wife,  was  obliged  to  proceed 
to  Singapore.  Subsequently  Messrs.  Pohlman 
ami  Thompson  joined  the  workers  at  Borneo, 
where,  upon  their  arrival,  Messrs.  Doty  and 
Pohlmau  gave  themselves  to  the  welfare  of  the 
"Chinese  immigrants,  who  had  come  there  seek- 
ing fortunes,  while  Messrs.  Youngblood  and 
Thompson  confined  their  labors  to  the  Dyachs 
and  Malays. 

After  laboring  here  some  four  or  five  years, 
Messrs.  Doty  and  Bohlman  began  to  realize 
that  this  .especial  work  that  they  had  chosen 
w^ias  more  or  less  circumscribed,  and  that  tliey 
could  accomi^lish  far  greater  results  in  wider 


08  FIFTY    YEARS    IX    AMOY. 

fields  that  were  already  waiting  for  them  in 
China.  So  nnder  the  direction  of  the  Home  Board 
(A.  B.  C.  F.  M.)  they  left  Borneo  in  April,  1844, 
and  arrived  at  Amoy,  China,  in  June,  and  be- 
came co-laborers  with  Dr.  David  Abeel  in  the 
w^ork  that  he  had  already  founded. 

Mr.  Doty's  life  was  a  very  checkered  one. 
His  efforts  in  the  Indian  Archipelago  were,  so  far 
as  human  knowledge  would  lead  us  to  suppose, 
a  signal  failure,  while  his  efforts  in  Amoy  were 
crowned  with  marked  success.  As  Dr.  Cham- 
bers said  at  the  time  of  his  death,  ''A  shai^er 
contrast  can  hardly  be  furnished  by  the  entire 
history  of  missions  than  that  which  existed  be- 
tween the  fruitless  toil  in  Borneo  and  the  golden 
harvest  in  Amoy.  But  he  was  the  same  man  in 
both.  The  ill-success  did  not  dishearten,  large 
ingatherings  did  not  puff  up.  He  stood  in  his 
lot  where  the  Master  sent  him,  and  knew  how 
to  labor  and  to  wait,  and  knew,  also,  that  the 
faithful  herald  of  the  cross  is  a  sweet  savor  of 
Christ  in  them  that  ai*e  saved,  and  in  them  that 
perish." 

Sorrows  and  afflictions  were  multiplied  dur- 
ing almost  the  entire  course  of  his  earthly  pil- 
grimage. The  shadow^s  that  death  cast  across 
his  pathway'  were  indeed  dark.  First  of  all,  he 
was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  death  of  the  ''  ge- 
nial and  wiiming"  Dr.  Abeel,  then  the  death  of 
liis  first  wife  (Eleanor  Ackley),  then  the  death 
of  his  fellow-laborer  and  companion,  Mr.  Pohl- 
man,  in  1848,  then  the  death  of  his  second  Tvdfe 
(Mary  Smith),  in  1858. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONARIES.  69 

Yet,  the  lights  and  shadows  that  plaj'ed  across 
3iis  life  brought  out  in  fuller  relief  the  gi^and 
and  noble  character  of  this  verj  unostentatious 
man.  Patiently  and  submissively  he  bore  his 
every  trial.  Modestly  and  becomingl}^  he  ac- 
cepted the  success  of  his  labors,  that  God 
:granted  unto  him. 

He  was  eminently  pious.  Hirs  life  breathed 
a  beautiful  Christian,  spirit,  and  intercourse  with 
him  showed  that  he  lived  near  his  Master,  and 
w^as  full  of  love  to  tlie  Saviour,  to  His  cause  and 
His  people.  He  was  not  brilliant  nor  profound, 
but  he  was  laborious  and  determined,  deemed 
by  many  a  mere  plodder,  but  he  plodded  success- 
fully. Whatever  he  undertook  to  do,  he  did  with 
his  whole  might.  He  was  conscientious  in  every 
duty  and  spared  not  his  strength  to  perform  it 
to  the  end,  and  his  death  was  due  to  overwork. 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  co-laborers,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  do  more  than  he  could  safely  perform. 

For  fourteen  years  he  labore<l  wdth  but  a  sin- 
gle companion,  first  with  Mr.  Pohlman  and  after- 
ward with  Dr.  Talmage.  "The  harvest  was 
white  and  perishing  before  his  eyes,"  "and  he 
hesitated  not  in  thrusting  in  his  sickle  early  and 
late,  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  until  his 
strength  entirely  failed  him. 

Much  time  of  his  latter  years  was  devoted  to 
the  literary  work  of  ^the  mission,  a  department 
for  which,  by  his  habits  of  accuracy,  his  candor, 
judgment  and  freedom  from  caprice  and  preju- 
dice, he  was  admirably  fitted.  In  1865  he  left 
his  chosen  field  to  return  to  his  native  land  to 


70  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

(lie  amcng  liis  friends.  But  God  ordered  it  other- 
wise; he  departed  this  life  four  days  before 
reaching  the  coasts  of  America,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six.  His  remains  were  brought  on  and 
the  funeral  services  held  in  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church,  Lafayette  place,  New  York,  on  March 
27,th,  18G5,  where  thirty  years  before  he  was 
commissioned,  and  was  laid  to  rest  at  Troy 
Hills,  N.  J.,  the  home  of  his  second  wife,  there 
to  await  the  glorious  resurrection. 

At  Amoy,  his  real  work  was  accomplished. 
''There  stands  his  monument  upon  the  coast  of 
China,  fair  as  the  sun,  in  a  group  of  churches — 
burning  lights  among  millions  of  heathen,  with 
every  element  of  strength,  expansion  and  per- 
petuity." 

Mrs.  Eleanor  (Ackley)  Doty,  1844-'45^;  Mrs. 
Mary  (Smith)  Doty,  1847-'58.i 


W.   J.   POHLMAN,    1844-'49. 

Mr.  Pohlman  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 17th,  1812.  Leaving  the  parental  roof 
w^hen  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  his  young  and 
inexperienced  life  came  in  contact  with  severe 
and  so  great  temptations  that  he  was  nearly 
swept  from  the  moorings  of  his  faith  and  piety, 
Instilled  into  his  heart  by  his  faithful  parents. 

For  four  years  he  was  tossed  about  upon  the 
billows  of  temptation  and  sin,  conviction  and 
relapses,  good  resolutions  and  broken  vows, 
"the  struggles  between  a  tempting  world  and  a 
tempting  adversary  on  the  one  hand,   and   a 

(1)  Died;  buried  at  Amoy,  China. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONARIES.  71 

conscience  breathing  dismay  aiid  terror  on  the 
other."    But  at  last  the  good  conquered,  and 
hTs  conversion  was  sudden  and  almost  as  vivid 
as  Paul's  on  his  way  to  Damascus;  and,  as  in 
Paul's  case,  he  was  chosen  of  God  to  carry  the 
Gospel  to  the  Gentiles  far  away  from  his  home 
land.      His  joy  over  the  assurance  of  full  re- 
demption, his  praise  over  redeeming  love,  he 
could  scarcely  frame  in  words — so  full  was  his 
heart.    This  change  occurred  at  Geneva,  N.  Y., 
in  1S28,  where  he  was  living  with  a  sister,  to 
whose  loving,  sisterly  devotion  and  patience  his 
conversion  was  due  (so  far  as  human  agency  can 
work).     Soon  after  he  decided  to  study  for  the 
ministry,  and  at  twenty  entered  the  junior  class 
at  Rutger's  College,  1834.      Subsequently  grad- 
uating    from    the    New    Brunswick    Seminary 
(1837),  he  was  ordained  by  the  Classis  of  Al- 
bany, April  18th,  1838.      His  attention  to  the 
heathen   world   was   probably   first   called   by 
hearing  a  returned  missionary  from  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  preach  shortly  after  his  conversion. 
He  was  deeply"  impressed.  This  impression  Avas 
intensifi.ed  by  an  address  delivered  before  the 
students   of   the   College,    February,    1833,    by 
Rev.  Dr.  Wisner,  Secretary  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 
"From  this  time  his  mind  was  not  at  rest  until 
the  beginning   of  the  next  year,   when,    after 
many  trials  and  conflicts,  arising  partly  from  a 
distrust  of  his  own   qualifications  and  partly 
from  reluctance  of  near  friends,  especially  of 
his  aged  parents,  to  part  with  him,  he  came 
deliberately  to  the  determination  that  he  would. 


72  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

devote  his  life  to  foreign  jiiissions;  and  froinr 
that  hour  everything  else  was  made  subordinate 
and  subservient  to  the  accomplishment  of  this 
one  grand  object";  and  his  consecrated  and  de- 
voted spirit  is  breathed  forth  on  the  pages  of  a 
letter  he  forwarded  to  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 

"Time  has  only  served  to  strengthen  the  de- 
cision which  was  calmly  and  dispassionately 
made.  After  repeated  reviews  of  the  same,  I 
am  confirmed  and  settled.  I  cannot  now  doubt 
for  a  moment;  mine  was  not  a  rash  or  a  hasty 
conclusion.  If  there  are  no  contrary  indica- 
tions, I  must  go;  I  cannot  stay.  Eeceive  me 
under  your  care  as  a  candidate  for  the  mission- 
ary service;  I  wish  to  be  enlisted  for  life.  If 
in  your  view  I  can  be  of  any  service,  I  lay  my 
all  at  your  feet.  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none, 
but  such  as  I  have  give  I  thee.  Send  me  abroad 
to  publish  glad  tidings  to  the  idol-serving  na- 
.tions.  Send  me  to  the  most  desert  part  of  all 
the  howling  wilderness  of  heathenism,  to  the 
most  barbarous  climes,  or  to  more  civilized  re- 
gions. Send  me  to  the  millions  of  pagans,  to  the 
followers  of  the  false  prophet,  to  the  Jews  or 
the  Gentiles,  to  Catholics  or  Protestants.  Send 
me,  in  fine,  wherever  God  opens  an  effectual 
door.  Send  me,  for  the  necessity  is  laid  upon  me ; 
yea,  woe  is  unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel 
to  the  perishing  heathen."  (Manual  Eeformed 
Church,  etc.) 

He  was  accepted,  but  before  he  departed  he 
was  employed  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
of  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  (then  acting  in 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONARIES.         73 

concert  witli  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.),  visiting  the 
churches,  and  several  thousand  dollars  were 
raised,  as  well  as  much  enthusiasm  aroused  in 
the  behalf  of  missions,  through  his  earnest  ap- 
peals. 

Mr.  Pohlman,  with  his  wife  (a  sister  of  Dr. 
John  Scudder,'  of  Indian  fame),  left  for  their 
mission  field  on  the  25th  of  May,  1838.  Like 
his  brethren  who  had  preceded  him  at  Amoy, 
his  labors  began  elsewhere,  having  first  visited 
Java,  Singapore  and  Borneo.  He  arrived  in 
Amoy  in  company  with  Mr.  Doty,  June  24th, 
1844. 

Through  his  solicitations  and  influence  among 
friends  at  home,  money  was  secured  for  the 
erection  of  the  first  church  building  of  Amoy 
January,  1849,  at  the  cost  of  |3,000,  now  occu- 
pied by  the  members  of  the  First  Church,  Amoy. 
This  was  the  first  church  erected  in  China,  ex- 
clusively used  for  Chinese  worship.  Thus,  the 
temple  stands  an  honor  to  this  man  and  a  monu- 
m.ent  to  his  faith  and  zeal. 

He  was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  years  and 
not  permitted  to  witness  this  crowning  act  of 
his  life  in  its  full  cordpletion;  for  it  Avas  while 
on  a  voyage  from  Hong-Kong,  whence  he  had 
^one  to  procure  lamps  for  the  edifice,  that  he 
lost  his  life  at  sea. 

"He  set  out  to  return  to  Amoy  on  the  2d  of 
January  (1849)  in  the  schooner  Omega.  On  the 
morning  of  the  5th  or  Gth  the  vessel  struck,  in 
a  fearful  gale,  near  Breakers'  Point,  about  half 
way  between  Hong-Kong  and  Amoy."    All  on 


74  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

Board  perislied  save  one,  either  at  the  hands  of 
the  pirates  who  infested  those  shores,  or  by 
the  overwhehning  waters. 

The  people  at  Amoy  were  waiting  Mr.  Pohl- 
man's  return,  when  they  expected  to  dedicate 
the  new  structure.  His  funeral  service  and  the 
dedication  exercises  were  held  at  one  and  the 
same  time,  February  11th,  1*849. 

Mrs.  Theodosia  R.  (Scudder)  Pohlman,  1844- 
'45". 


J.  V.   N.   TALMAGE,   D.  D.,   1847-'92. 

Yery  modestly,  yet  so  characteristic  of  the 
writer  of  the  ''Sketch  of  the  Auioy  Mssion,'' 
China  (1888),  the  author  closes  up  the  biogra- 
phies of  those  whom  he  called  the  founders  of 
the  Amoy  Mission  with  these  Avords:  ''So  there 
is  no  need  in  this  paper  to  mention  the  names  of 
those  succeeding  them.'' 

As  it  was  said  of  Dr.  Abeel,  so  it  could  be 
said  of  Dr.  Talmage:  "The  crowning  beauty" 
of  this  man's  life  was  "his  humility."  If  Abeel 
and  Dot}^  and  Pohlman  laid  solid  and  deep  the 
foundations  upon  the  bed-rock  of  sound  ortho- 
doxy. Dr.  Talmage  builded  no  less  sagaciously, 
strongly  and  solidly  thereon.  For  nearly  the 
entire  history  of  the  Amoy  Mission  (up  to  1802) 
he  has  watched  and  guarded  sacredly  the  trust 
committed  to  his  care.  His  faithfulness  and 
wisdom  and  love  ai'e  written  in  indelible  char- 
acters on  dome  and  spire,  on  walls  and  columns, 


(2)   Died ;     buried  at  Aiuoy,   Cliina. 


Rev.  John  V.  N.  Talmage,  D.  D. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OE  MISSIONAEIES.         75 

on  cornice  and  entablature,  on  chancel  and  nave 
of  the  structure  we  behold  this  day. 

When  he  was  taken  away,  if  it  was  not  one 
of  the  great  stones  in  the  foundations,  surely 
it  was  one  of  the  strong  pillars  of  the  super- 
structure. 

Dr.  Talma ge  was  born  at  Somerville,  N.  J., 
August  18th,  1819.  Consecrated  to  God  at 
his  birth,  he  was  early  led  to  give  his  heart  into 
His  keeping.  The  name  in  old  English  used  to 
be  spelled  Tollemache,  and  Dr.  Talmage  used 
to  jokingly  say  he  was  a  descendant  of  Tele- 
machus. 

"  There  was  a  pathetic  scene  fifty  years  ago  in 
a  New  Jersey  farm-house.  A  tender,  loving, 
Christian  mother  was  giving  warm  welcome  to 
her  son,  who  had  just  graduated  from  college 
with  higti  nonors  (1842).  Only  a  mother's  heart 
can  realize  the  joy  and  pride  she  felt  in  her  boy, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  and  done  credit 
to  the  family  name.  He  was  her  boy  and  in- 
expressibly dear  to  her.  What  then  must  have 
been  her  emotions  when  he  told  her,  gently  but 
firndy,  that  he  had  been  led  to  consecrate  his 
life  to  service  for  Christ  in  China.  China  was 
a  long  way  off  in  those  days,  and  its  people  hos- 
tile to  missionaries;  how  could  she  bear  to  hear 
of  her  dearly  beloved  son  going  into  peril  even 
in  such  a  cause.  ^Oh,  John !'  she  exclaimed.  Ma- 
ternal love  had  its  way  for  a  moment,  and  then 
the  higher  nature  in  her  triumphed,  and  she 
said:  'I  prayed  to  God  for  this,  and  He  has 
answered.      How  can  I  object?'       They  were 


76  FIFTl^    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

brave  words,  which  no  mother  couhi  have  ut- 
tered but  one  in  whom  love  of  G^od  held  the 
highest  place.  They  remind  one  of  another 
mother  who  long  ago  heard  with  joy  the  bless- 
ings which  would  come  to  the  world  through 
the  babe  she  held  in  her  arms;  but  heard,  too, 
that  ^a  sword  should  pierce  through  her  own 
soul  also.'  With  faith  like  that  of  Abraham,, 
she  would  not  withhold  her  son  when  God  called 
for  him."    (^'Christian  Herald.") 

Graduating  from  ^New  Brunswick  Seminary 
in  1845,  he  immediately  offered  himself  to  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed 
(Dutch)  Church,  but  on  account  of  lack  of 
finances,  he  was  obliged  to  wait  two  years  be- 
fore he  was  commissioned.  In  the  meantime^ 
he  served  the  Middle  Church  of  Brooklyn. 

In  April,  1847,  he  sailed  away  for  the  far  off 
coasts  of  China,  where  he  arrived  after  a  four 
months'  voyage. 

His  life  was  one  of  ceaseless  activity.  "  Preach- 
ing and  teaching  in  the  theological  semmary, 
long  tours  into  the  interior,  the  preparation  of 
books,''  and  sought  by  all  foreigners  and  natives 
for  counsel,  direction  and  sympathy — all  made 
his  life  an  intensely  active  and  useful  one.  Chi- 
nese officials,  the  literati,  merchants  and  com- 
mon people,  Europeans  and  Americans,  not  only 
confided  in  him,  respected  him  and  loved  him, 
but  held  him  in  high  honor  for  his  eminent 
scholarship,  his  intellectual  force  and  his 
Christian  character^  His  home  was  always 
opened  to  all  comers,  and  all  received  a  kind 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONAEIES.         77 

and  hospitable  welcome.  So  whether  they  came 
seekiDg  social  enjo^anent  or  the  solution  of  some 
vexing  problem,  the^^  fonnd  just  what  they 
sought — none  ever  sought  in  vain  here.  An<l 
up  and  down  that  extended  coast  line  of  China, 
perhaps  there  w^as  not  another  home  so  well 
known  as  his. 

He  began  his  literary  work  early  in  his  career 
and  kept  it  up  until  the  very  end.  Five  years 
after  his  arrival  he  produced  a  primer  (pp.  30, 
1852).  Next  followed  a  first  reader  (pp.  17, 
1853).  In  the  same  year  (1853)  he  also  made  a 
translation  of  Burn's  "Version  of  Pilgi^im's 
Progress."  Then  followed  translations  of  Luke's 
Gospel,  and  tlie  Epistles  to  the  Galatians,  Ephe- 
sians  and  rhilippians,  and  the  epistles  general 
of  John  and  Peter.  These  translations  were  all 
rendered  in  Amoy  Romanized  colloquial — a  sys- 
tem of  writing  the  Chmese  language  (in  use  only 
the  past  thirty  years)  that  has  not  only  made  it 
possible  for  old  and  young  alike  in  that  region 
to  read  and  write,  but  has  done  more  toward  the 
spiritual  enlightenment  of  that  people  than 
whole  centuries  of  the  old,  but  more  literary, 
method  could  or  can  hope  to  accomplish. 

He  gave  his  best  efforts  toward  the  develop- 
ment and  use  of  this  Romanized  colloquial,  so 
all  his  works  are  in  this  style.  Perhaps  it  made 
him  appear  less  scholarly,  and  received  less  ap- 
plause, but  it  brought  light  and  knowledge  to 
the  very  homes  of  thousands,  who  would  never 
have  had  either  without  this  system.  That  was 
all  the  reputation  and  applause  that  this  man 


78  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

sought.  He  crowned  his  life-work  (completing: 
it  at  Bound  Brook)  ^^dth  a  work  entitled  "The 
Amoy  Colloquial  Dictionary" — a  scholarly  work 
which  will  be  of  great  service  to  all  missionaries 
wdio  may  labor  in  that  district,  as  well  as  to  the- 
native  Christians  of  Amoy  and  Formosa. 

Few  indeed  have  been  permitted  to  see  how 
great  things  God  hatK  Avrought,  what  changes^ 
have  taken  place,  in  their  appointed  lifetime,  as. 
was  granted  unto  this  good  man.  He  went  to 
Amoy  in  the  first  bloom  of  manhood,  and  from, 
start  to  finish  he  threw  into  the  work  a  con- 
secrated zeal  and  a  devoted  enthusiasm.  When, 
he  arrived  in  Amoy  there  were  no  churches,  no 
schools,  no  Christian  homes,  no  hospitals,  and 
only  three  converts.  When  he  left  there  were 
2,000  converts,  seventeen  churches,  and  as  many 
pastors  under  Presbyterian  order  alone,  a  theo- 
logical seminary,  a  training  school  for  women;, 
and  boys'  and  girls'  schools  and  hospitals  scat- 
tered throughout  that  district. 

In  July,  1889,  after  a  period  of  forty-two 
years  of  ser\ice,  in  consequence  of  an  enfeebled 
and  broken  body,  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish 
all  active  participation  in  his  chosen  work,  and 
returned  to  the  land  of  his  birth,  seeking  rest 
and  strength,  with  the  expectation  of  thus  being 
able  to  take  up  the  work  he  so  reluctantly  had 
to  leave. 

Until  the  very  last  that  star  of  hope  never- 
set.  Even  when  he  was  fast  sinking  into  the 
blessed  rest,  the  last  beams  of  that  hope  were 
faintly    gleaming.    He    said   then:    "It    seems. 


Residence  of  Rev.  Dr.   Talmage. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONAEIES.         79 

HOW  as  though  I  may  never  get  back  to  Amoy." 
It  was  still  only  "seeming" — not  a  settled  fact 
with  him.  It  shows  how  intently  his  heart  was 
set  on  his  life-work.  And  if  there  was  one  im- 
fulfilled  wish  in  his  life,  it  was  only  this,  that 
he  might  die  and  be  buried  among  the  people 
for  whom  he  had  given  all — his  best.  But  it 
was  not  to  be.  His  work  was  done,  fully  and 
w^ell  done — all  done. 

At  Bound  Brook,  N.  J.,  on  the  19th  of  August, 
1892,  he  fell  asleep,  and  rests  from  his  labors. 

In  that  building  in  Somerville,  N.  J.,  where 
he  was  baptized  and  gave  his  heart  to  (iod,  ivas 
his  body  takeii  on  August  22d,  1892,  "for  the 
services  with  which  believing  friends  committed 
the  precious  dust  to  the  earth  in  firm  hope  of 
a  glorious  resurrection.'' 

Silently,  yet  gloriously,  his  sun  went  down 
behind  the  hills  of  time,  and  for  many  a  day  its 
splendor  wil!  adorn  the  sides  before  it  has  en- 
tirely set  beyond  our  view — its  memory,  never. 

Mrs.  Abby  F.  (Woodruff)  Talmage,  1850-'62; 
Mrs.   Mary   E.   (Van   Deventer)  Talmage,   1864 

.    Rev.    J.    S.    Joralman,    1855-'58:     Mrs. 

Martha  B.  (Condit)  Joralman,  1855-'58. 

Rev.  and  ^Irs.  Joralman  left  Amoy  in  the  year 
1858  on  account  of  the  dangerous  illness  of  the 
latter.  Had  health  and  strength  permitted, 
they,  with  many  others  whom  the  trying  clime 
had  banished,  would  have  been  laboring  in 
these  fields  to-day.    Their  hearts  are  there. 

After  their  return,  they  served  the  Church  at 
Fairview,  111.,  for  twenty-six  ye-ars.    They  then 


80  FIFTY    YEARS    Ix\    AMOY. 

removed  to  Norwood  Park,  111.,  now  a  suburb 
of  Chicago,  and  still  serve  that  Church  (1892). 

LOCATED  AT  AMOY— EVANGELISTIC  WORK. 

Rev.  Daniel  Eapalje,  1858;  Mrs.  Alice  (Os- 
trum)  Eapalje,  18T8;  Rev.  Alvin  Ostrum,  1858- 
'64;  Mrs.  Susan  (Webster)  Ostrum,  1858-'G4. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  Ostrum  were  also  compelled  to 
leave  the  enervating  climate  of  Ainoj.  He 
spent  two  years  at  home  recuperating,  and  in 
1866  became  Stated  Supply  over  the  Church  at 
Franklin,  N.  J.,  South  Classis  of  Bergen.  In 
1868  was  chosen  pastor  of  this  church,  and 
served  it  two  years.  While  at  Franklin,  Mrs. 
Ostrum  departed  this  life.  Lea\ang  Franldin 
in  1870,  he  moved  to  Tomhannock,  having  ac- 
cepted a  call  from  the  Presbyterian  churches  of 
Tomhannock  and  Johnsonville,  Rensselaer 
County,  N.  Y. 

In  1871-^72  he  served  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  State  Centre,  Iowa.  Subsequently  he  set- 
tled in  Navada,  Iowa,  where  he  had  charge  of  a 
Presbyterian  church  for  more  than  a  year. 

In  1875  he  moved  to  Southern  California, 
serving  consecutively  the  three  Presbyt-erian 
churches  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  Carpenteria  and 
Oroville.  About  1882,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  CongTegational  Board  of  Home  Missions,  he 
settled  at  MuiT)hys,  Calaveras  County,  Cal.,  and 
for  three  years  took  charge  of  all  the  work  in 
that  county.  He  was  th  eonly  minister  in  Calav- 
eras County  and  preached  in  twenty-three  dif- 
ferent places. 

In  April,  1886,  he  received  and  accepted  a  call 


TPIE  SUCCESSION  OF  iVHSSIONAEIES.  81 

from  the  Congregational  Cliurcli  (supported  by 
American  sugar  planters)  at  Koliala,  Hawaiian 
Islands.  Here  he  is  still  serving  the  Church, 
and  in  conjunction  with  Rev.  Frank  Damon, 
devotes  much  labor  looking  after  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  Chinese,  Japanese  and  Portri- 
g-uese  immigrants. 


Rev.  John  E.  Watkins,  I860;  :Mrs.  Sarah  A. 
(Heuston)  Watkins,  1860. 

These  beloved  missiouaries  Avere  never  per- 
mitted to  enter  upon  their  chosen  work.  They 
sailed  in  the  ship  Edwin  Forrest  in  August, 
1860,  and  no  tidings  were  ever  received  of  her 
fate. 

They  have  long  ago  dropped  anchor  along  the 
shores  of  the  Golden  Seas;  and  instead  of  re- 
porting for  duty  in  the  city  of  Amoy,  theirs  has 
been  the  blessed  privilege  of  reporting  for  duty 
in  that  city  of  light,  joy  and  peace — the  City 
of  the  New  Jerusalem.  There  they  served  Him. 
With  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watkins,  three  of  the  Amoy 
missionaries  have  found  their  last  resting  place 
beneath  the  waters  of  the  mighty  sea,  while 
Mrs.  i:ieanor  (Ackerly)  Doty,  Mrs.  Mary  (Smith) 
Doty,  Mrs.  Theodosia  R.  (Scudder)  Pohlman, 
Mrs.  Abby  (Woodruff)  Talmage,  Miss  Caroline 
E.  Adriance  and  two  or  three  children  of  the 
missionaries  sleep  in  the  little  hallowed  ceme- 
tery on  Kolongsu,  Amoy. 

"  They  sleep  in  Jesus  and  are  blest ; 

How  sweet   their  slumbers  are, 
From  suffering  and  from  sin  released, 

And  freed  from  every  care." 


'S2  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

MISS    CAHOLINE    ADRIANCE,    1861-'64. 

Two  miles  south  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  at  the  out- 
let of  Owasco  Lake,  stands  the  Sand  Beach 
Ohurch  (Owasco  Outlet  Church,  Classis-of  Mont- 
gomery), Eev.  Chas.  Maar,  pastor.  Though  per- 
haps unknown  to  many  of  the  members  of  the 
Reformed  churches,  yet,  on  account  of  the  num- 
ber of  missionaries,  whose  names  are  enrolled 
on  her  records,  and  who  have  gone  out  from 
her  w-alls  to  publish  the  message  of  salvation 
unto  the  nations  sitting  in  darkness,  is  worthy 
of  better  acquaintance  and  wilder  reputation. 

It  was  in  this  church'  that  Miss  Adrianee  re- 
ceived both  her  spiritual  and  missionary  educa- 
tion. 

In  1851,  Rev.  S.  R.  Brown,  D.  D.,  Avho  had 
been  a  foreign  missionary  at  Canton,  China, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Morrison  Educational 
Society,  and  in  charge  of  the  Morrison  Memorial 
School  at  Canton,  became  pastor  of  the  Sand 
Beach  Church. 

It  was  under  Dr.  Brown's  instruction,  we  may 
assume,  that  Miss  Adrianee  received  her  mis- 
sionary enthusiasm,  and  by  whom  was  awak- 
ened the  desire  to  go  and  tell  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation  to  the  souls  perishing  in  the  dark- 
ness of  heathenism. 

Dr.  Brown's  life  was  fired  with  the  spirit  of 
missions,  and  the  flame  flow^ed  with  such  bright- 
ness that  it  touched  and  fired  the  lives  of  mem- 
bers of  his  little  fiock  at  Owasco  Outlet. 

In  1852  a.  Ladies'  Foreign  Mssionary  Society 
was  organized  in  this  church,  and  Miss  Adrianee 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  MISSIONARIES.  83 

was  one  of  the  charter  members — and  a  very 
active  and  consecrated  one.  It  was  in  this 
school  that  she  for  seven  years  was,  uncon- 
sciously, perchance,  fitting  herself  both  for  the 
Macedonian  call  and  for  usefulness  on  the  for- 
eign field. 

But  a  few  years  go  by  before  that  call  comes 
to  the  pastor  and  to  his  child  of  faith  alike. 
Japan  had  been  opened  and  was  readj^  for  the 
LoriFs  harvesters  to  enter  and  begin  the  seed- 
sowing  in  the  fallow  soil. 

So  when  the  call  came  in  1859  from  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  of^the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church  to  Dr.  Brown  to  go  and  represent  that 
denctmination  in  the  "Land  of  the  Rising  Sun," 
he  was  ready  to  respond  most  heartily  to  the 
summons. 

Others  had  at  the  same  time  received  the  sum- 
mons, and  with  the  same  spirit  of  gladness 
obeyed  the  call.  And  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  it 
was  that,  instead  of  one  or  two,  quite  a  company 
set  out  at  that  time  from  that  church. 

There  were,  besides  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Brown, 
Bev^.  Guide  Verbeck,  D.  D.,  and  wife.  Miss 
Mary  E.  Ki(hler  (now  Mrs.  E.  R.  Miller,  of 
North  Japan  Mission),  and  Miss  Adriance.  Some 
of  them  were  already,  and  others  of  them  be- 
came, members  of  this  ciliurch  before  their  de- 
parture. 

Dr.  A>rbeck  was  a  graduate  of  the  Auburn 
Theological  Seminary,  and  while  at  Auburn 
became  a  member  of  this  church..  Mrs.  Ver- 
beck was  a  member.    Miss  Kidder  was  teaching 


84  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

at  Owasco  Outlet  in  Dr.  Brown's  school,  and 
she  thus  became  attached  to  this  church.  Hence, 
it  was  that  at  that  time  when  this  little  com- 
pany set  forth  for  the  Orient  on  the  ship  Sur- 
prise, from  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1859, 
they  w^ere  all  members  of  the  Sand  Beach 
Church,  at  Owasco  Outlet,  N.  Y. 

This  little  memoir  has  to  do,  however,  with 
Miss  A(]riance. 

Caroline  Adriance,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Elizabeth  Humphrey  Adriance,  was  born  in 
Scii>io,  N.  Y.,  October  29th,  1824.  When  about 
four  years  old  she  met»with  the  greatest  loss 
wdiich  can  come  to  a  child  in  the  death  of  her 
mother.  So  the  care  of  her  in  childhood  deyolved 
upon  others,  who  could  not  feel  toward  her  as 
a  mother. 

There  was  nothing  remarkable  about  her 
childhood,  and  the  only  record  of  those  early 
years  is  that  she  was  obedient  and  affectionate, 
and  grew^  up  to  be  useful  and  helpful;  yet,  there 
is  a  beautiful  history  written  in  those  lines  that 
friends  may  well  cherish. 

At  about  the  age  of  sixteen,  during  a  revival 
that  o(;curre(l  in  the  neighborhood,  she  was  one 
among  others  at  that  time  to  decide  to  accept 
Christ  as  her  Saviour.  Soon  after  she  made  a 
public  profession  of  her  faith  by  uniting  with 
the  Sand  Beach  Church,  where  she  remained  a 
consistent  member  until  she  received  the  call 
to  go  unto  the  heathen. 

Miss  Adriance  was  a  volunteer.  The  Board 
was  not  in  the  position  to  send  her  at  that  time, 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  ]\nSSIONARIES.  85 

SO  she  went  out  at  her  own  expense.  And  not 
only  that,  but  before  she  left  New  York  she 
made  her  will  and  bequeathed  all  her  earthly 
possessions  to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
which  amounted,  at  the  time  of  her  decease,  to 
$2,500  or  more. 

Miss  Adriance's  friends  were  very  solicitous 
about  her  going  alone,  and  on  account  thereof 
she  received  no  small  portion  of  discouragement 
from  them  to  enter  upon  what  seemed  a  most 
hazardous  enterprise. 

That  she  made  no  mistake,  and  that  her  life 
was  full  of  joy  in  her  work,  we  have  ample  testi- 
miony  in  a  letter  (April  8th,  1861,)  of  hers  to  a 
cousin  now  living  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  In 
the  letter,  she  writes: 

"I  recollect  well  the  anxiet^^  you  felt  on  my 
account  because  I  was  single  and  alone,  with  no 
protector,  and  I  presume  you  have  often  wished 
to  know  how  your  poor  lone  cousin  was  getting 
along.  Could  you  have  been  permitted  to  have 
looked  into  my  home  in  Japan  you  would  have 
seen  me  surrounded  with  blessings  far  more 
than  you  could  have  imagined.  I  -^ill  not  at- 
tempt, nor  do  I  wish  to  make  you  think  that  it 
was  no  trial  to  leave  brothers,  sisters  and  friends 
to  whom  I  was  strongl}^  attached;  the  dear  lit- 
tle church  of  which  I  was  a  member;  my  own 
native  land,  which  none  could  love  more  than  I. 
Can  any  one  think  that  it  wa^  not  a  trial,  ajid 
a  severe  one,  too,  to  be  separated  from  all  these 
with  little  expectation  of  ever  seeing  them 
again  ?     But,  strong  as  are  ties  which  are  (for  a 


80  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

season,  at  least,)  severed,  I  do  not  regret  the 
course  I  have  taken,  and  I  am  not  sorry  I  am 
in  Japan.  I  trust  I  am  where  the  Father  would 
have  me,  and  that  He  has  somethmg  for  me  to 
do  in  this  far  off  land." 

Her  chosen  lot  was  with  the  laborers  at  Yoko- 
hama, Japan,  but  finding  that  she  could  not 
pursue  the  work  she  had  set  out  to  do  among 
the  women  of  Japan,  withdrew  from  the  field 
and  joined  the  Mission  at  Amoy  some  time  in 
1861. 

Here  also  she  was  only  permitted  to  labor 
for  three  brief  years,  when  death  cut  off  her 
life  of  usefulness  March  5th,  1864;  yet,  during 
that  time,  by  her  beautiful  Christian  character 
and  unsparing  devotion,  she  endeared  herself 
to  all  with  whom  and  for  whom  she  had 
labored. 

Loving  hands  laid  her  to  rest  in  the  little 
hallowed  cemetery  on  Kolongsu,  where  others 
of  the  Amoy  Mission  lie  sleeping  their  calm  and 
peaceful  slumbers. 

Over  her  grave,  in  that  far  off  land,  stands 
a  modest  little  monument,  with  best  of  inspira- 
tions that  one  might  Avish  for  at  life's  close: 
"She  hath  done  what  she  could." 


LOCATED    AT    SIO- KITE— EVAXGELI STIC    WORK. 

Kev.  Leonard  W.  Kip,  D.  D.,  1861;  Mrs.  Helen 
(Culburtson)  Kip,  1864^;  Kev.  Augustus  Blau- 
velt,  1861-'64;  Mrs.  Jennie  (Zabriskie)  Blauvelt, 
186l-'64. 


(3)  Died;  buried  at  Amoy,  China. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  :NnSSIONAmES.         87 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blauvelt  left  Amoy  August  30th, 
1864,  and  arrived  in  this  country  the  close  of 
December.  Mrs.  Blauvelt's  health  was  shat- 
tered, and  as  there  was  no  i)rospect  of  her  being 
able  to  return  within  a  year  or  two,  Mr.  Blau- 
velt proposed  to  the  Board  that  they  send  him 
back  to  China  and  leave  his  family  in  this  coun- 
try. "The  sacrifice  did  not  seem  called  for, 
though  it  excited  the  hearty  admiration  of  the 
Board  for  the  spirit  which  prompted  it." 

In  18G5-'G6  he  became  pastor  of  the  Bloom- 
ingdale  (K.  Y.)  church,  Classis  of  Ulster,  and 
served  it  until  1871-'72.  For  a  number  of  years 
past,  on  account  of  an  enfeebled  mind,  he  has 
been  unable  to  manage  his  affairs. 


REV.  HOWARD  VAN  DOREN,  1864-'73. 

Mr.  Van  Doren  was  compelled  to  leave  his 
work  on  account  of  weak  eyes,  which  threatened 
total  blindness. 

On  his  return  to  America  he  server!  the 
churches  at  Cato,  N,  Y.,  Classis  of  Geneva,  for 
two  years,  1874-'76;  Tyre,  same  Classis,  1876- 
'82;  Gallupville,  N.  Y.,  Classis  of  Schoharie, 
1883-'86;  Esopus,  N.  Y.,  Classis  of  Ulster,  1887- 
'92;  Bath-on-Hudson  (new  organization),  1892 — . 


MISS  HELEN   M.   VAN    DOREN,    1870-'77. 

Miss  Van  Doren  was  one  of  the  faithful  work- 
ers of  the  Mission,  and  it  was  a  great  loss  when 
ill-health  compelled  her  to  return  to  the  home- 
land. She  had  charge  of  the  girls'  school,  which 
was  organized  just  about  the  time  of  her  arrival, 


88  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

and  she  also  (lid  a  great  deal  of  country  work, 
visiting  the  women  of  the  out-stations  in  com- 
pany with  the  Misses  Talmage. 


JOHN  A.   DAVIS. 

Mrs.  Emma  C.  (Wyckoff)  Davis,  1868-'71. 

Hi-health  banished  these  two  also  from  the 
list  of  active  workers  at  Amoy.  ^Ir.  Davis 
served  the  Board  for  two  years  after  his  arrival 
in  America;  then  served  the  churches  at  Palis- 
ades, N.  J.,  Classis  of  Bergen,  1872-'73 ;  Potters- 
ville,  N.  J.,  Classis  of  Karitan,  1873-'78;  Oyster 
Bay,  L.  I.,  North  Classis  of  Long  Island,  1878- 
'82;  Second,  Newark,  N.  J.,  Classis  of  Newark, 
1883-'89.  He  is  now  serving  a  Presbyterian 
church  at  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  1802. 


LOCATED   AT  AJNIOY. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Talmage,  1874;  Rev.  David  M. 
Talmage,  1877-'80. 

Mr.  Talmage  was  obliged  to  leave  his  chosen 
field  on  account  of  his  poor  health.  So  shat- 
tered was  his  streng-th  that  several  years  passed 
before  he  fully  recovere<L  Pastor  Bound  Brook, 
N.  J.,  1882-'84;  Clarkstown,  N.  Y.,  1885-'87; 
Westwood,  N.  J.,  1888. 


MISS  CATHARINE  M.  TALMAGE,  1881. 

Miss  Talmage  went  to  China  in  1874,  and,  not- 
withstanding her  poor  eyesight,  at  once  engaged 
in  the  active  work  of  the  Mission.  She  labored 
on  independently  in  this  way  for  seven  years, 
when  in  1881  she  was  regularly  appointed  by  the 
Board. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  mSSIONAEIES.  89* 

LOCATED  AT  AIMOY-EVANGELISTIC  WORK. 

Eev.    Alexander    S.   Van    Dyke,    1882;    Mrs. 
Alice  (Kip)  Van  Dyke,  188G. 


located  at  amoy-educatioxal  work. 

(acade:\iical.)  * 

Rev.  Philip  W.  Pitcher,  1885;  Mrs.  Anita  F. 
(Merritt)  Pitcher,  1885. 


LOCATED  AT  SIO-KHE— MEDICAL  WORK. 

Miss  Y.  May  King,  M.  D.,  1887-'88;  John  A. 
Otte,  M.  D.,  1887;*  Mrs.  F.  C.  (Phelps)  Otte, 

1887. 


LOCATED   AT  AMOY-EDUCATIONAL  WORK. 
(THEOLOGICAL.) 

Rev.  John  Gr.  Fagg,  1887;  Mrs.  Margaret  (Gil- 
lespie) Fagg,  1889. 


LOCATED   AT  AMOY. 

Miss  E.  M.  Cappon,  1891. 


LOCATED  AT  SIO-KHE. 

Miss  Nellie  Zw^emer,  1891;  Miss  M.  C.  Mor- 
rison, 1892. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


MISSIONAEY  METHODS  AND  AGENCIES. 

In  every  missionary  enterprise  in  China  there 
are  fonr  clear  and  well-defined  departments  of 
evangelization,  viz.:  Evangelistic,  medical,  edu- 
cational and  the  press. 

The  Amoy  Mission  has  been  characterized  as 
being  a  "preaching  mission."  And  it  is  true, 
yet  it  would  be  erroneous  to  suppose  that  the 
preaching  had  been  confined  to  the  chapels  and 
churches.  The  same  blessed  Word  has  been 
preached,  not  only  in  the  chapels  and  on  the 
streets,  but  in  the  medical  and  educational  insti- 
tutions, and  in  the  books  and  tracts  and  other 
literature  that  have  been  issued  from  her 
presses  as  well.  The  aim  has  been  to  preach 
as  beautiful  sermons  in  the  wards  of  the  hos.- 
pitals,  the  school-room,  and  from  the  printed 
page  as  from  the  sacred  desk,  thus  sowing  the 
Word  broadcast. 

Still,  the  church  has  been  paramount.  The 
church  has  been  of  the  first  importance  and  al- 
ways led  the  way — the  hospitals,  the  schools 
folloAving  as  accessories,  or,  as  new  channels 
through  which  the  Word  might  run  and  be 
glorified.  To  this  true  order  of  our  enter- 
prise, the  substantial  results  we  now  wit- 
ness are  in  no  small  measure  due.    Medical  and 


mSSIONARY  IVIETHODS  AND  AGENCIES.       91 

educational  work  and  tlie  press  have  been  con- 
sidered of  gi^eat  importance— in  fact,  indispens- 
able— but  all  these  departments  have  ever  been 
kept  '^  subservient,  to  the  proclamation  of  the 
OospeL'- 

We  propose  to  review  these  four  depart- 
ments as  briefly  as  possible,  and  endeavor  to 
ascertain  what  each  has  accomplished  in  these 
'^^ty  years. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  CHUECH  OF  CIIKIST  IN  CHINA. 

At  the  present  time  three  missionary  societies 
are  represented  at  Amoy,  yiz.:  The  Eeformed 
(Dutch)  Church  (1842^),  the  London  Mission 
(18441),  and  the  English  Presbyterian  (1850), 
in  the  order  of  their  establishment. 

There  have  been  other  societies  represented, 
but  only  for  a  brief  period.  The  American 
Episcopal  Church  was  represented  in  1842  by 
Bishop  Boone,  who  arrived  at  Amoy  with  Dr. 
Abeel;  and  the  American  Presbyterian  Church 
(North)  was  represented  for  awhile  longer  by 
J.  C.  Hepburn,  M.  D.,  from  1843  to  1845,  and  by 
Rev.  John  Loyd  from  1844  to  1848. 

After  the  death  of  Rev.  Mr.  Loyd,  the  Ameri- 
can Presbyterian  Church  withdrew  and  passed 
their  interests  over  to  the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church,  and  established  themselves  elsewhere 
in  the  Em]>ire. 

Rev.  Mr.  Boone  did  not  remain  long  enough 
to  establish  any  permanent  work,  and  no  repre- 
sentative succeeded  him  at  Amoy. 

The  London  Mission  Society  represents  the 
Congregational  or  Independent  polity  of  church 
government,  and  so  all  their  churches  have  been 
established  at  Amoy  after  that  order,  and  thus 

(1)  Established. 


THE  CIIURGII  OF  CHRIST  IN  CHINA.  93 

its  representatives  have  worked  independeiitly. 
lUit   the   other   two    societies,    viz.:    Reformed 
(Dutchj  Cliiirc]].  and  the  English  Presbyterian 
€lmrch,  being  closely  allied  by  their  ecclesiasti- 
cal politj*  became  so  united  in  all  their  efforts 
that  they  have  been  practically  one  mission  from 
the  start.    Perfect  harmony  has  existed  between 
these  two  bodies,   and  together  have  they  la- 
bored to  establish  one  church  under  the  Presby- 
terian order,  but  which  should  be  neither  Ameri- 
can, Dutch,  or  English,  but  the  Church  of  Christ 
in  China,  literally  the  "Holy  Church  of  Jesus." 
Only  for  the  sake  of  economy  were  there  any 
lines  that  in  any  way  indicated  a  separation  be- 
tween these  two  societies,  and  they  were  these: 
First:  Each  society  keeping  its  own  "pecuniary 
matters  distinct";  second:  Each  society  having 
\ts  own  field,  with  its  particular  chapels  and 
churches  under  its  particular  supervision.  There 
was  nothing  else  to  distinguish  them— if  this  can 
be  called  a  distinction.    Au<l  even  here  the  lines 
were  so  finely   drawn  as  to  be  almost  unob- 
sei'vable,  because  each  was  sometimes  responsi- 
ble for  the  work  to  be  done  in  the  other's  terri- 
tory. 

As  we  have  already  recorded,  the  missionaries 
at  Amoy  were  well  received,  both  by  officials 
and  by  the  people.  And  they  went  everywhere 
preaching  the  Gospel,  healing  the  sick,  dis- 
tributing tracts  unmolested,  "the  Lord  work- 
ing with  them,  confirming  the  work  with  signs 
following."  Thus  the  good  work  was  continuetl 
until  in  1856,  when  the  solemn  responsibility 


94  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

fell  upon  the  missionaries  of  the  Eeformed 
(Dutch)  Church  to  organize  the  first  church  of 
Amoj.  Then,  too,  the  question  arose,  what  wa)s 
the  church  to  be?  What  was  it  to  be  called? 
Was  it  to  be  the  English  Presbyterian,  or  the 
American,  or  the  Dutch,  or  the  English- Ameri- 
ean-Dutch-Ohinese  Church,  or  simply  the  Chi- 
nese Church,  i.  e.,  "The  Church  of  Christ  in 
China'^?  To  afflict  the  church  with  the  names 
English,  American,  or  Dutch  seemed,  after  due 
deliberation,  both  unnecessary  and  unwise — 
moreover,  absurd.  They  put  themselves,  there- 
fore, under  the  leading  of  Providence,  and  they 
solemnly  felt  that  they  were  led  by  God  when 
they  founded  "a  purely  Chinese  church"  by 
adopting  the  order  of  the  Eeformed  (Dutch) 
Church  in  America. 

In  these  proceedings  the  missionaries  of  the 
English  Presbyterian  Church  united  without  a 
dissonant  note.  They  entered  into  the  plan 
with  their  whole  heart,  and  instead  of  forming 
au other  and  distinct  organization  of  their  own, 
after  another  and  distinct  order,  gladly  ac- 
cepted these  (our)  proposed  forms  and  ordi- 
nances, and  heartily  joined  with  us  in  consum- 
mating the  organization  of  the  one  Church  of 
Christ  in  China  under  the  Presbyterian  Ecclesi- 
astical Government  at  Amoy.  For  neither  could 
see  "any  sufficient  reason  for  organizing  two 
distinct  denominations." 

The  object  of  this  organization  was  beauti- 
fully stated  by  Dr.  Carstairs  Douglass  in  a  let- 
ter addressed  to  the  Corresponding  Secretary 


THE  CHURCH  OF  CHEIST  IN  CHINA.  95 

of  tlie  English  Presbyterian  Mission  Board  as 
follows:  "It  is  an  attempt  to  build  on  the  soil 
of  China,  with  the  lively  stones  prepared  by  the^ 
great   Master   Builder,    an   ecclesiastical   body 
holding  the  grand  doctrines  enunciated  at  West- 
minster and  Dort,  and  the  principles  of  Presby- 
terian .polity  embraced  at  the  Eeformation  by 
the  purest  churches  on  the  Continent  and  in 
Britain ;  it  Avill  also  be  a  beautiful  point  in  the 
history  of  this  infant  church  that  the  under- 
builders  employed  in  shaping  and  arranging  the- 
stones  were  messengers  of  two  different  (though 
not  differing)  churches  in  the  two  great  nations- 
on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

And  the  -Presbyterian  Church  in  England, 
with  the  same  beautiful  spirit  as  was  mani- 
fested by  their  representatives  at  Amoy,  heart- 
ily approved  of  every  action  taken,  and  bade 
the  work  "God  speed." 

In  the  process  of  time  other  churches  were 
organized  after  this  s'ame  order  at  Amoy,  until 
the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  missionaries  had 
three  organized  churches,  viz.:  the  First  and 
Second  churches  of  Amoy  and  the  church  of 
Chioh-Be,  under  their  supervision;  and  the  Eng- 
lish Presbyterian  Church  missionaries  had  two 
organized  churches,  viz.:  the  church  of  Pe-chui-a 
and  the  church  of  Ma-peng,  under  their  super- 
vision. 

This  was  in  1860,  and  as  yet  the  churches 
had  no  formal  ecclesiastical  organization.  The 
missionaries,  therefore,  felt  that  the  time  had 
arrived  for  such  organization  and  tiie  establish- 


96  FIFTY'    YEARS    IN    AMOY. 

ment  of  higher  judicatories,  whereby  the 
churches  might  fully  enjoy  the  "essential  prin- 
ciples of  Presbyterianism."  Such  a  step  was, 
moreover,  necessary',  because  the  churches,  ac- 
cording to  their  ecclesiastical  polity,  were  not 
independent  of  each  other,  but  members  of  each 
other  as  parts  of  a  whole,  and  subject  t%  each 
other,  and  subject  to  the  whole  as  well;  hence 
the  need  of  some  ecclesiastical  council  or  body 
where  matters  appertaining  to  the  whole  might 
be  adjudicated. 

In  1862  the  "  Classis,"^  or  "The  Great  Presby- 
terial  or  Classical  Council  "  of  the  Amoy 
churches,  was  accordingly  founded,  possessed 
of  full  powers  to  perform  all  duties  devolving 
upon  such  a  body.  This  also  received  the  hearty 
approval  of  the  brethren  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  England. 

The  proposition,  to  form  such  a  church  and 
such  an  ecclesiastical  organization  of  all 
the  churches  thus  formed,  as  stated  above,  on 
account  of  some  misapprehension  and  misun- 
derstan<ling,  met  with  a  different  kind  of  re- 
ception in  America.  The  proposition  was  op- 
posed by  the  General  Synod  from  the  start,  and 
the  opposition  continued  for  five  years  or  more. 
We  deem  it  unnecessary  to  record  that  history 
in  full  on  these  pages.  They  who  desire  to 
read  it  will  find  it  quite  fully  recorded  in  the 
General  Synod  Reports  of  1857  to  1863;  also 
in  a  small  pamphlet,  written  by  Dr.  Talmage 

(2)  In  1892  the  "Classis"  was  divided  into  two,  the  Northern 
or  Chiu-Chiu,  and  the  Southern  or  Chiang-Chiu.  At  the  same 
time  the  Synod  of  Chiang-Chin  was  formed. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST  IN  CHINA.         97 

in  18G3,  entitled  "The  Ecclesiastical  Eelations 
of  tlie  Cliurches  of  the  Presbyterial  Order,  at 
Amoy,  China. '~' 

It  was  due  chiefly  to  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Tal- 
mage  that  the  tide  of  opposition  that  had  flowed 
on  so  long-  was  turned  in  favor  of  this  united 
w^ork,  and  this  one  united  church. 
yWith  all  due  honor  to  his  faithful  fellow- 
laborers,  and  to  sympathizing  supporters  at 
Amoy,  and  tlie  part  they  took  in  this  unhappj;; 
controversy,  no  one  can  review  the  history  of 
those  days  without  feeling  that  to  Dr.  Tal- 
mage's  patience  and  skill  and  courage  is  the 
unbroken  relation  of  the  churches  of  the  Pres- 
byterial Order  at  Amoy,  and  consequently  the 
foundation  of  a  purely  Chinese  Church  and 
Classis,  due.  Five  years  or  more  were  con- 
sumed in  the  unfortunate  struggle.  More  than 
once  Dr.  Talmage  was  defeated,  yet  he  never 
was  conquered.  For  five  years  he  plead  and 
wrote  and  exhorted  in  exi)laining  and  removing 
misconceptions  and  misstatements.  And  h.e 
never  gave  up  until  the  Church  was  convinced 
that  the  missionaries  at  Amoy  were  upholding  a 
just  and  righteous  cause. ^ 

There  is  no  man  in  our  Church  who  would 
have  it  otherAvise.  There  is  no  man  in  our 
Church  who  does  not  rejoice  over  the  consum- 
mation of  such  a  church  and  such  an  ecclesi- 
astical organization  as  was  established  at  Amoy, 
respectively,  in  1856  and  1862. 

According  to  the  Synod's  Eeport  of  1891, 
there  were  17  organized  churches  at  Amoy,  with 


98  FIFTY    YEAES    IN    AMOY. 

1,859  adult  members,  15  native  pastors,  50 
unor<laine(l  native  helpers,  and  a  native  Hakka 
Mission,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Tai-hoey,  or 
"Great  Classical  Council"  of  the  Amoy  churches. 
It  is  only  necessary  here  to  speak  of  the 
churches  of  this  organization,  un;ler  the  Re- 
formed (Dutch)  Church  Missicm's  particular  su- 
pervision, which  we  now  procee<l  to  do. 


Chinese  Pastors  and  Helpers  in  Amoy  Mission. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  NINE  CHURCHES.^ 


Name  of  Church.  Name  of  Present  Pastor. 

First  Church  of  Amoy,  Eev.  Ng  Ho-seng.{2) 

Second  Church  of  Amoy,  Rev.  Ti  Peng-teng. 

Chioh-be  Church,  Rev.  Lim  Khiok. 

0-Kang,  Rev.    Li   Ki-che 

Hong-San  Church,  Rev.  lu  Ho-sui. 

Chiang-chiu  Church,  Rev.  Chhoa  Thian-Khit. 

Tong-an  Rev.  Lim  Chi-Seng. 

Sio-Khe  Rev.  lap  Han  Chiong. 

Thian-San,  Rev.  Tiong  Lu-li. 


EXPI.ANATION     OF     CHURCH     NAMES. 

Chioh-be  church  is  located  at  Chioh-be,  a 
town  of  00,000  inhabitants,  eighteen  miles  west 
of  Amoy  on  the  West  River.  The  meaning  of 
the  name  is  "Stone  Horse." 

0-Kang  church  is  located  on  the  Island  of 
Amoy,  and  is  made  up  of  two  congregations, 
the  one  worshipping  at  O  and  the  other  at  Kang. 
Hence  the  name  0-Kang.  But  "O"  is  an  ab- 
breviation for  0-pi,  and  "Kang"  an  abbrevia- 
tion for  Kang-thau,  the  full  names  of  the  places. 
The  meaning  of  O-Kang  is  "Lake  River." 

Hong-San  church  is  located  on  the  mainland, 
eight  or  ten  miles  north  of  Amoy,  and  is  also 
composed  of  two  congregations,  the  one  wor- 
shipping at  Hong  and  the  other  at  San.  Hence 
the  name  Hong-San.  "Hong"  is  the  abbrevia- 
tion for  Ang-tung-thau,  "San"  the  abbreviation 
for  Te-soa.    The  meaning  of  Hong-San  is  "  Great 

(1)  Each  church  suppoJts  its  own  pastor. 

(2)  ''o"   pronounced    "ung." 


100  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AJVIOY. 

Hountain."    This  church  has  one  out-station  at 
Te-thau. 

Chiang-chiu  church  is  located  in  the  City  of 
Chiang-chiu,  a  city  of  200,000  inhabitants, 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  west  of  Amoy  and 
six  miles  west  of  Chioh-be,  on  the  West  River. 
Has  one  out-station:  Chhoa-poa.  There  is  no 
particular  meaning  to  the  words. 

Tong-an  church  is  located  at  Tong-an,  a  city 
of  150,000  inhabitants,  twelve  or  fifteen  miles 
north  of  Amoy  and  five  miles  north  of  Hongr^ 
San.  The  meaning  of  the  name  is  "United 
Peace."  Has  two  out-stations:  Poa-thau-chhi 
and  Ko-soa. 

Sio-Khe  is  located  in  the  small  market  town 
of  Sio-Khe,  between  fifty  and  sixty  miles  south- 
west of  Amoy  on  the  Sio-Khe  River,  and 
twenty-five  miles  w^est  of  Chiang-chiu.  The 
meaning  of  the  name  is  "Little  River."  Had 
at  the  end  of  the  year  1891  six  out-stations, 
viz.:  Lam-sin,  Poa,  Toa-Khe,  Soa-pi,  E-che  and 
Toa-lo-teng. 

Thian-San  is  located  between  six  and  ten 
miles  north  and  west  of  Chiang-chiu,  and  is 
composed  of  two  congregations,  the  one  wor- 
shii^ping  at  Thian  and  the  other  at  San.  "Thian" 
Is  the  abbreviation  for  Thian-po,  and  "San"  the 
abbreviation  for  Soa-Sia.  The  meaning  of 
Thian-San  is  "Heavenly  Mountain."  Has  one 
out-station,  viz.:  Leng-Shoa. 

Thus  we  might  in  English  designate  the 
churches : 

The  First  Church  of  Amoy. 


THE  NINE  CHURCHES.  101 

The  Second  Church  of  Amoy. 
The  Stone  Horse  Church. 
The  Lake  River  Church. 
The  Great  Mountain  Church. 
The  Chiang-Chiu  Church. 
The  United  l*eace  Church. 
The  Little  River  Church. 
The  Heavenlv  Mountain  Church. 


THE  FIRST  CHUnCH  OF  AMOY. 

First  pastor,  Rev.  Lo  Tau,  1863-'70;  second 
pastor,  Rev.  Chhoa  Thian-Khit,  1871-'83;  third 
pastor.  Rev.  Ng  Ho-seng,  1885. 

In  Januar^^,  1844,  two  rooms  were  rented  in 
the  city  of  Amoy,  one  being  used  as  a  chapel 
for  regular  preaching  services,  and  the  other  as 
a  dispensary,  in  the  charge  of  Dr.  Cummings, 
and  in  both  these  places  the  natives  were  taught 
both  by  minister  and  physician  the  way  of  eter- 
nal life.  The  people  were  eager  to  listen  to 
the  "good  news,"  and  so  at  the  first  service  a 
congregation  of  seventy  "met  to  worshij)  the 
true  God.''  The  size  of  the  audiences  never 
diminished,  but  frequently  they  numbered  two 
hundred  eager  listeners. 

On  March  21st,  1844,  a  Bible  class  of  twelve 
scholars  was  organized,  and  maintained  with 
increased  interest  and  blessing. 

On  December  l(>th,  1845,  a  special  meeting 
for  w^omen  was  instituted,  and  has  been  main- 
tained till  this  day  with  unabated  zeal  by  the 
ladies  of  our  mission. 

In  December,  1845,  the  growing  congregation 


102  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

moved  out  of  their  small  room  into  a  more  com- 
modious and  newly  rented  chapel. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1846,  the  first  Chinese 
monthly  concert  was  held,  consisting  of  a  morn- 
ing and  evening  session.  The  morning  was  de- 
voted to  i)rayer  and  the  afternoon  to  discussing 
matters  pertaining  to  methods  and  plans  of 
work  and  missionary  news  in  general. 

It  was  a  Union  Service  of  all  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries: Eeformed,  English  Presbyterian  and 
London  Mission,  and  all  the  native  converts 
connected  with  these  societies. 

The  concert  is  still  maintained  once  a  month. 
And  it  is  a  blessed  bond  of  union  that  w^e  trust 
will  never  be  broken.  It  has  bound  us  one  in 
spirit,  if  not  one  in  name,  as  we  have  endeav- 
ored to  preach  the  Word,  and  sought  to  bring 
the  knowledge  of  its  everlasting  fulness  to  the 
people  committed  to  our  charge. 


THE   FIRST   CONVERTS. 

Four  years  thus  rolled  by  whilst  the  harvest- 
ers had  gone  forth  to  scatter  the  seed,  patiently 
waiting  the  fij-st  signs  of  reaping.  Dr.  Abeel 
passed  away  before  he  could  thrust  in  his  sickle 
to  gather  in  the  sheaves,  but  on  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  April  (5th  inst.),  1840,  Mr.  Pohlman  had 
both  the  honor  and  the  pleasure  of  baptizing 
and  receiving  into  full  communion  the  first  con- 
verts of  the  Gospel  at  Amoy. 

A  letter  received  by  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  from 
Mr.  Pohlman  regarding  these  aged  converts 
will  prove  of  interest.      The  name  of  one  was 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  103 

Hok  Kiii-peli,  and  the  other  Un  Sia-peh,  both 
over  fifty  j-ears  of  age. 

"Hok  Kiii-peh  is  a  native  of  Lam-an,  about 
twenty-five  miles  from  Amoy,  and  came  to  this 
city  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  that  of  a  mill  grinder,  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  month  and  food.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier,  and  now  bears  the 
scars  received  in  the  battle  fought  with  the 
pirates.  When  nearly  fifty,  he  opened  a  shop 
for  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  idol  paper. 
After  the  first  missionaries,  Messrs.  Abeel  and 
Boone,  had  been  at  Kolongsu  about  sLx  months, 
he  was  brought  to  the  preaching  service  by  a 
friend,  and  was  at  once  impressed  with  the  rea- 
sonableness of  the  truth  and  the  utter  folly  of 
idolatry.  For  three  years  and  a  half  he  has 
been  a  steady  attendant  on  the  means  of  grace 
and  a  diligent  seeker  of  salvation.  The  change 
in  him  has  been  gi^adual,  but  marked.  His  em- 
ployment causing  him  great  uneasiness,  he  aban- 
doned it. 

"  Un  Sia-peh  is  a  native  of  Tong-an,  ten  miles 
from  Amoy,  and  he  came  to  this  city  about  seven 
years  ago  to  take  the  store  of  his  brother,  who 
had  died.  He  was  brought  to  our  chapel  by 
Hok  Kui-peh  more  than  two  years  ago,  and  has 
ever  since  continued  a  diligent  and  devout 
hearer  of  the  Gospel. 

"At  the  public  examination,  these  old  men 
referred  to  Mr.  Abeel  as  the  person  from  whom 
they  first  heard  the  tidings  of  great  joy.  The 
idols  in  the  house  of  Kui-peh  all  belonged  to 


104  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

members  of  his  family,  and  he  insisted  on  their 
removal  from  the  public  hall,  in  which  they 
have  been  many  years.  This,  after  a  long  strug- 
gle, was  done.  The  only  idol  in  the  house  of 
Uh  Sia-peh  has  been  formally  given  to  me,  and 
is  now  in  my  possession." 
"Amoy,  May  1st,  1846." 


THE  FIRST  CHURCH  BUILDING. 

Three  more  years  passed  by,  and  though  the 
accessions  to  the  Christian  religion  were  exceed- 
ingly few,  yet  the  brethren  felt  their  labor  in 
the  Lord  was  not  in  vain. 

They  had  been  holding  services  in  rented  quar- 
ters, and  the  missionaries  concluded  that  a 
home  dedicated  to  God  would  not  only  be  more 
appropriate,  but  an  advantage  for  the  promul- 
gation of  the  Grospel,  "and  a  valuable  assistant 
in  the  prosecution  of  their  labors." 

Through  Hok  Kui-peh,  the  first  convert,  a 
piece  of  property,  with  four  small  buildiiigs, 
was  secured  on  September  Kith,  1847.  One  of 
the  buildings  was  temijorarily  fitted  up  for  a 
chapel  and  occupied  until  1848,  when,  through 
the  solicitations  of  Mr.  Pohlman,  |3,000  ha\'ing 
been  secured,  the  work  on  the  new  and  First 
Church  building  was  begnn.  The  building  was 
dedicated  February  11th,  1849.  The  church  is 
located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city  on  New 
Street,  i.  e.,  Sin-Koe-a.  It  is  usually  spoken  of 
as  the  Sin-Koe-a  Church,  and  so  reported  in  the 
Sy nodical  Report  of  the  Anioy  Churches.  The 
dimensions  are:  Height  of  ceiling,  19  feet  and 


First  Church,  Amoy,  Sin-koe-a. 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  105 

5  inches;  to  top  of  tower,  50  feet;  length,  60 
feet;  width,  37  feet,  and  portico,  10  feet.    It  is 
built  of  brick  and  after  the  "Etruscan  style  of 
architecture."    The    front   is    stucco   ^^ork    of 
pure  white,  and  on  an  oval  slab,  from  the  quarry 
of  Canton,  aboTe  the  front  entablature,  there  is 
an  inscription  in  Chinese  characters  which  reads 
as   follows:    ''A   Temple  for  the   Worship   of 
the  True  God,  the  Great  Sovereign  Ruler."    On 
each  side  of  the  inscription  are  inscribed  other 
-Chiuese  characters  meaning:  ''The  One  Thou- 
sand, Eight  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Year  of 
Jesus'  Advent,  and  To-Kong  the  Twenty-eighth 
Year,"  and  underneath  all  the  figures  "1848." 
The  interior  is  arranged  after  the  fashion  of  a 
Quaker  meeting-house,  i.  e.,  a  screen  separating 
the  men  from  the  women.    And  everything  is 
■as  plain  as  those  places  of  worship — no  cush- 
ioned seats,  no  carpeted  floors,  no  stained  glass 
windows.  In  a  majority  of  cases  simply  benches 
with  no  backs  adorn  the  churches  in  the  Amoy 
Tegion.    Tile  flooi^s  always.    Back  of  the  church 
IS  a  building,  height  26  feet,  length  40,  width 
14.    The  upper  part  was  used  as  a  parsonage 
until  1892,  and  the  lower  part  as  a  consistory 
room.    A  new  parsonage  was  provided  in  1892. 
In  the  erection  of  this  building  the  Reformed 
€hurch  had  the  privilege  of  establishing  the 
•first   Protestant   church    building   in    the  Chi- 
nese Empire,  as  it  had  two  centuries  before  of 
establishing   the   first  church   organization   in 
New   York   (tlien   called   New   Amsterdam)   in 
1628. 


106  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

The  first  children  of  native  converts  were 
baptized  by  Mr.  Doty  on  May  19th,  1850.  At 
this  time  he  baptized  his  own  son  and  three 
chihiren  of  native  Christians. 


THE  FIRST  EVANGELIST  AND  MAYTYR. 

The  first  native  evangelist  employed  by  the 
Mission  was  Mr.  U  Teng-ang.  He  vs^as  a  native 
of  the  Kwang-tung  (Canton)  Province,  and  in 
1841  went  to  Siam,  where  he  came  into  the  em- 
ployment of  a  missionary  and  thus  learne<l  to 
love  and  serve  the  Lord  Jesus. 

He  returned  to  China  in  1846,  and  in  August 
of  that  year  arrived  at  Amoy,  becomin.f?  con- 
necter!  with  the  Mission  in  March,  1847.     He 
was  a  faithfid  and  zealous  servant,  and  useful 
in  conversing-  with  inciuirers,  holding  meetings 
and  touring  in  the  country.    In  May,  1853,  he 
went  to   Chiang-chiu   in   company   Avitli   a  col- 
porteur  to   see  about  opening  a  new   station 
there.    It  was  during  the  periocl  of  the  Tai-peng 
rebellion,  when  the  insurgents  had  captured  the 
city.       The   people   of   Chiang-Chin   suspected 
that  these  two  were  spies  of  the  enemy,  and 
the  authorities  commanded  their  arrest.    The 
colporteur  escaped,  but  Mr.  U  Teng-ang  was 
seized  and  beheaded.  May,  1853.    A  letter  from 
Mr.  Doty  at  this  time  speaks  of  this  sad  affair 
in  tJiese   words:   ''From  all  we  can  learn,   it 
api>ears  that  our  friend  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the 
violence  of  an  aroused  and  suspicious  populace, 
who  were  beyond  the  control  of  both  reason  and 
law.       The  evangelist  had  mingled   with  the 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  107 

spectators  at  the  examination  of  several  man- 
darins, wlio  had  been  taken  by  the  insurgents 
at  the  capture  of  the  place.  A  mandarin  of  low 
rank  hapi>ened  to  be  questioned  by  the  acting 
insurgent  chief,  who  could  only  speak  the  local 
dialect,  while  the  mandarin  under  examination 
could  only  communicate  through  the  court  lan- 
guage, not  understanding  the  local.  The  evan- 
gelist was  standing  near,  and,  seeing  the  diffi- 
cult}',  voluntarily  spoke  out  as  an  interpreter 
between  the  parties.  Upon  this,  tlie  insurgent 
chief,  in  some  ])olite  manner,  expressed  to  the 
evangelist  his  approbation  and  acknowledgment. 
It  is  also  reported  that  the  evangelist  interested 
himself  in  behalf  of  two  or  three  small  man- 
darins, and  i)revailed  with  the  insurgent  to  spare 
their  lives. 

"Next  day  the  populace  arose  and  recaptured 
the  city.  Every  stranger  in  and  about  the  p^/ice 
became  an  object  of  popular  suspicion.  The 
part  which  the  evangelist  had  acted  was  con- 
strued into  evidence  tliat  he  must  have  an  inti- 
macy with  the  insurgent  chief,  and  was  himself 
one  of  therebels.  Hence  he  was  seized  and  brought 
before  the  acting  magistrate.  This  person,  for 
aught  we  know,  may  have  owed  his  life  to  the 
interference  of  the  evangelist.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  the  magistrate  was  convinced  of  his  in- 
nocence and  wished  to  set  him  at  liberty.  But 
the  mob  had  the  ascendancy.  Death  to  the 
evangelist  had  been  determined  upon;  they  at 
once  executed  their  purpose." 

The  First  Church  of  Amoy  was  fully  organ- 


108  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

ized  in  1856  ''  bj  the  setting  apart  of  elders  and 
deacons."  The  first  pastor,  Rev.  Lo-Tau,  was  in- 
stalled Marcli  29th,  1863,  and  received  a  salary 
of  twelve  dollars  i^er  month  (this  is  the  maxi- 
mum sum  paid  the  pastors  of  to-day).  He  was- 
a  faithful  and  devoted  minister  of  the  Gospel, 
and  passed  to  his  reward  in  the  Kingdom  above 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1870. 

The  progress  of  this  church  has  not  been  what 
might  have  been  hoped  for.  After  a  period 
of  nearly  forty  years  from  its  organization,  its 
present  membership  only  numbers  seventy. 
This,  to  say  the  least,  is  disappointing^:  and  dis- 
couraging. Yet,  there  remains  the  comforting^ 
fact  that  from  this  sanctuary  for  two  score 
years  the  invitation  has  been  extended  to  these 
poor  perishing  ones  in  Amoy  city  to  come  to 
Jesus  and  be  saved.  Moreover,  the  seed  has- 
been  scattered,  and,  though  the  sowers  knew  it 
not,  may  have  sprung  up  to  fruitful  harvest. 
Such  labor  is  not  in  vain,  and  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  knows  when  it  is  best  to  show  the  re- 
sults of  this  blessed  work  done  by  this  old  his- 
toric church  in  the  Kingdom  of  China.  Maybe 
it  will  be  one  of  the  brightest  gems. 

The  second  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Chhoa  Thian- 
Khit.  He  was  installed  in  1871,  and  served 
the  church  twelve  years,  when  he  accepted  the 
call  to  Chiang-Chiu. 

Rev.  Ng  Ho-Seng  was  installed  in  1885,  and 
still  continues  in  the  pastorate  (1892). 

Kang-thau  and  0-pi,  before  the  church  organ- 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  100 

ization   of   (3-Kang,    were   out-stations   of   this 
church. 

The  first  and  second  churches,  since  1800, 
have  supported  a  mission  and  native  evangelist 
at  ('hhan-chhu-oa,  on  the  Ishind  of  Anioy. 


THE   SECOND  CHURCH   OF  AMOY. 

First  pastor,  Rev.  lap  Han-chiong,  1863-'83; 
second  pastor.  Rev.  Ti  Peng-teng,  1884. 

Dr.  Talmage  arrived  in  Amoy,  on  his  return 
from  America,  July  16th,  1850.  On  December 
22d  following  he  preached  his  first  regular  ser- 
mon at  the  opening  of  a  new  place  of  worship 
in  rooms  connected  with  his  own  house  at  Tek 
Chhiu-Kha,  Amoy — the  site  of  the  present  Sec- 
ond Church's  building. 

The  room  was  crowded  with  curious,  if  not 
eager,  listeners,  and  the  average  attendance 
range<l  thereafter  from  100,  150  to  200.  Thus 
was  inaugurated  an  enterprise  under  most  favor- 
able circumstances  that  resulted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Second  Church  of  Amoy  at  Tek- 
Chhiu-Kha,  i.  e.,  "Foot  of  the  Bamboo  Tree," 
in  A.  D.  1860.  It  is  called  in  the  Synodical 
lieport  of  the  Amoy  Churches  "  The  Tek-Chhiu 
Kha  Church." 

The  cliurch  has  been  more  prosperous  than 
the  First,  or  Sinkoe-a  Church.  This  may  in  a 
measure  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  it  is 
in  close  proximity  to  the  English  Presbyterian 
Hospital,  located  at  the  same  place,  and  thus 
was  brought  into  greater  prominence.  But 
there  has  been,  as  well,  a  more  consecrated  and 


110  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

spiritual  life  manifested  amongst  her  members. 

The  present  church  buihling  was  constructed 
in  1859,  and  dedicated  October  30th  of  that 
year.  It  is  entirely  surrounded  by  other  Chi- 
nese shops  and  houses,  and  so  almost  entirely 
hidden  from  view — making  it  impossible  to  be 
photographed.  Both  of  these  churches  (like  all 
the  country  churches)  have  day  schools  for  the 
instruction  of  the  children  of  the  church  and  for 
all  the  heathen  children  who  may  choose  to 
come.  The  two  churches  together  have  or- 
ganized a  Dorcas  Society,  which  lias  contributed 
as  much  as  |60  cash  in  one  year  for  benevolent 
purposes,  and  distributed  numerous  garments 
for  the  poor. 

The  first  pastor,  Eev.  lap  Han-chiong,  was  or- 
dained and  installed  on  the  same  day,  March 
29th,  1863,  as  Rev.  Lo  Taw  was  over  the  First 
Church.  He  served  the  church  with  great  ac- 
cei>tance  for  twenty  years,  when  he  received 
and  accepted  the  call  to  the  new  organization  at 
Sio-Khe,  1884.  The  second  pastor,  Rev.  Ti 
Peng-teng,  was  called  from  the  Chiang-Chiu 
Church  and  installed  in  1884. 

Tong-an,  Te-Soa  and  Ang-tung-thau,  before 
they  became  separate  church  organizations, 
were  out-stations  of  this  church.  The  present 
membership  of  the  Second  Church  is  135. 


CHIOH-BE    CHURCH. 

First  pastor.  Rev.  Tiong  Lu-li,  1872-'82;  sec- 
ond pastor.  Rev.  Lim  Khiok,  1886. 
The  Gospel  message  was  brought  to  this  place 


THE  NINE  CHURCHES. 


Ill 


by  Christians  from  Peli-chui-a  in  1854.  They 
had  j^one  to  Chioh-be  to  do  some  business,  and 
when  that  was  accomplislied,  they  occupied  a 
few  moments  in  telling  the  people  of  Chioh-be 
about  the  wonderful  message  they  had  already 
received  and  believed. 

The  missionaries  and  native  Christians  of 
Amoy  followed  this  up  with  as  frequent  visits 
as  possible.  Even  sooner  than  they  had  faith 
to  expect,  the  first  harvest  of  twenty  or  more 
converts  was  gathered  in  1855.  In  1859  the  or- 
ganization of  the  church  occurred,  being  set  off 
from  the  First  Church  of  Amoy.  On  February 
13th,  1872,  the  first  pastor,  Rev.  Tiong  Lu  li, 
was  ordained  and  installed. 

The  history  of  the  church  has  been  one  of  al- 
most ceaseless  struggling.  It  met  with  violent 
opposition  from  the  first,  both  from  the  officials 
and  the  people,  who  did  all  in  their  power  to 
banish  it  from  their  midst. 

For  some  reason,  a  wonderful  change  had 
taken  place  in  the  minds  and  feelings  of  the 
officials  and  the  people  toward  Christianity  and 
missionaries.  Certainly  this  was  not  the  ani- 
mus displayed  when  the  missionaries  first  ar- 
rived in  1842.  Then  officials  and  people  strove 
to  win  the  favor  of  the  ambassadors  of  Christ, 
and,  it  would  seem,  to  establish  His  cause  in 
their  midst  as  well.  Yet,  a  dozen  years  after 
(1854),  we  have  to  witness  this  bitterness  and 
hatred,  breaking  out  in  violent  persecution. 

Was  it  the  Tai-peng  rebellion  (inaugurated  by 
a  religious  fanatic  and  a  supposed  Christian 


112  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

convert,  who  assumed  the  title  of  Emperor  by 
the  desigDation  of  "Grand  Pacificator,"  whose 
dogs  of  war  had  already  been  let  loose  against 
the  gates  of  the  city  of  Ohiang-Ohiu,  and  whose 
object  was  to  sweep  away  with  one  mad  stroke 
the  idols  and  temples  of  the  nation,  as  well  as 
the  Dragon  Throne  itself,)  that  aroused  all  this 
bitterness  and  hatred  against  Christianity? 
Perhaps  it  was.  We  Imow  no  other  reason. 
And  for  fourteen  ^'^ears  the  "test  of  loyalty  to 
the  throne"  was  manifested  by  "trampling  on 
the  cross,"  and  by  their  efforts  to  stamp  out 
the  little  church  already  established.  But  the 
church  at  Chioh-be  suffered  internally  as  well 
as  externally.  The  members  became  spiritually 
dead.  Stroke  after  stroke  fell,  adverse  fortune 
followed  hard  and  sharp  in  the  track  of  severe 
persecution,  until  there  was  but  a  flicker  left  of 
the  flame.  And  when  the  pastor  fell  into  gTiev- 
ous  sin  by  the  use  of  spirituous  liquors,  and 
for  which  he  was  deposed  by  Tai-Hoey  in  1882, 
it  seemed  that  the  flame  must  cease  burning 
longer.  In  1886  a  new  pastor,  Rev.  Limi 
Khioh,  was  called  to  take  charge.  He  was 
young,  intelligent,  commanding  respect,  ear- 
nest, and  with  zeal  according  to  knowledge. 
Under  his  administration  a  new  order  of  things 
has  taken  place.  They  have  awakened  to  new 
life  and  new  activity.  That  flame,  nearly 
quenched,  no  longer  flickers,  but  is  burning 
brighter  than  ever  in  the  history  of  the  church. 
Thank  God,  the  church  has  passed  through  the 
fires.  And  may  it  be  like  the  refiner's  fixe,  cleans- 


SoA-SiA  Chaprl  and  Pastor's  House. 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  113 

ing  her  from  all  the  dross,  leaving  only  the  puri- 
fied gold.  This  church  had  for  a  number  of 
years  an  out-station  at  An-liau,  hut  persecu- 
tion banished  that.  To-day  they  have  an  ou1> 
station  at  Hai-teng,  and  history  is  repeating 
itself  there  in  the  effort  the  Church  is  making 
to  get  a  foothold.  The  rent  for  the  rooms  at 
Hai-teng  has  been  supplied  for  two  years  by 
the  King's  Daughters  of  the  Second  Church  of 
Poughkecpsie,  N.  Y. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Chioh-be 
Church  is  71.    That  shows  its  history. 

After  thirty-five  years  of  toiling,  and  such 
results.  Enough  to  discourage  any  worker. 
Over  the  tumult  and  above  the  raging  storms 
we  hear  the  voice  of  Him  who  is  mighty  to  save 
saying:  "Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by 
My  spirit,"  in  His  own  good  time. 


O-KANG  CHURCH. 

First  pastor,  Kev.  Li  Ki-che,  1889. 

This  church  is  composed  of  two  congrega- 
tions, viz.:  one  at  Kang-tliau  and  the  other  at 
0-pi  (more  commonl^^  called  Kio-thau).  The 
missionaries  and  the  native  Christians  began 
early  to  sow  the  seed  in  these  fields,  and  in 
1863  rooms  were  rented  in  ICang-thau,  when  it 
became  a  regular  appointed  out-station  of  the 
First  Church,  Amoy.    O-pi  followed  in  1865. 

In  1868  the  organization  into  a  regular 
church  occurred,  with  thirty  members,  tAvo  eld- 
ers and  one  deacon,  and  put  under  the  care  of 
native  helpers,  among  whom  were  Mr.  Ong  Ki 


11^  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

Siong,  present  pastor  of  the  new  church  organ- 
ization Avest  of  Sio-Khe,  and  Mr.  Li  Ki-che,  pres- 
ent pastor  of  the  0-Kang  Church. 

About  1887,  after  repeated  delays  and  vexing, 
negotiations,  a  piece  of  land  was  secured  at 
Kang-thau,  close  by  the  sea,  upon  which  was 
built  the  first  chapel  (preAdous  to  this,  as  we 
still  do  at  O-pi,  we  rented  a  house  for  public 
services^).  Dr.  Talmage  spent  much  of  his  time 
there,  and  not  a  little  of  his  finances  toward 
the  building  of  this  church  and  chapel.  The 
ground  and  building  cost  |665.  The  native 
church  provided  |316,  Dr.  Talmage  and  the 
other  missionaries  the  balance.  Rev.  Li  Ki-che, 
the  first  pastor,  was  ordained  and  installed  In 
1889,  and  ever  since  has  preached  the  Word 
boldly  and  with  power,  and,  we  believe,  with 
blessing. 

Cottage  prayer  meetings  and  seed-sowing 
amongst  the  neighboring  villages  have  been 
carried  on  constantly  by  pastor  and  people. 
There  has  been  much  weeping  aud  many  sore 
hearts  on  account  of  persistent  rejection  and 
stolid  indifference  to  the  Word  of  Life.  Yet 
their  trust  is  in  Him  who  hath  promised:  '"They 
that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy."  The  time 
is  not  yet,  but  we  patiently  wait  His  own  good 
time. 

The  present  membership  is  103. 


HONa-SAN"    CHURCH. 

First  pastor.  Rev.  Tu  Ho-sui. 


(3)    A  new  chapel  is  to  be  erected  at  O-pi,  1893. 


THE  NINE  CHURCHES.  115 

This  church  also  has  two  separate  congre- 
gations, one  at  Te-soa  and  the  other  at  Ang- 
tiing-thau.  The  origin  of  this  organization  is 
given  in  the  following  narrative: 

Thirty -five  or  forty  years  ago  a  poor  widow, 
Mrs.  Lee,  residing  at  Te-soa,  who  had  been 
robbed  of  all  her  husband's  possessions  by  his 
relatives  and  friends,  save  the  house  in  which 
she  lived,  was  compelled  to  go  down  to  the  city 
of  Amoy  every  day  to  peddle  cloth  and  notions 
in  order  to  gain  a  living  for  herself  and  family 
of  small  children. 

One  day  as  she  was  passing  through  the  nar- 
row thoroughfare  she  met  an  acquamtance, 
who  invited  her  to  go  with  her  and  hear  the 
foreigner  preach  the  "to-li"  (doctrine).  So  on 
they  went  together  until  they  came  to  a  place 
where  a  small  crowd  was  collected  about  an 
open  door.  Immediately  her  attention  was  ar- 
rested by  the  wonderful  message  brought  to 
her  hearing:  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  haA^e 
everlasting  life."  Oh!  that  was  just  what  she 
was  looking  for:  love.  No  one  loved  her.  Her 
friends  had  robbed  her,  and  her  portion  had 
been  only  hatred  and  abuse.  But  here  was  One 
who  loved  indeed.  Ah,  it  was  a  too  wonder- 
ful message — too  marvelous  for  this  poor  soul, 
so  buried  in  ignorance,  to  understand  all  at 
once.  Nor  is  it  to  be  wondered  at.  Think  of 
the  thousands  of  generations  that  have  passed 
away,  and  they  (this  nation)  dwelling  in  total 


116  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AAIOY. 

darkness.  In  addition  to  the  darkness  that  sur- 
rounds their  yerj  souls,  think  of  the  difficulty 
we  have  in  conveying  the  message  of  the  cross 
through  the  medium  of  the  Chinese  language — 
a  language  than  which  in  the  whole  world  there 
is  none  other  so  different  from  all  others;  ^'none 
other  acquire<l  with  so  much  difficulty  by  for- 
eigners, or  employed  hy  them  with  so  little 
facility."  Whether  it  be  supposition  or  fact 
that  Satan  w^as  the  author  of  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage or  not,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  there 
is  no  other  nation  that  has  been  so  long  and  so 
completely  under  his  sway  as  China.  The  lan- 
guage has  been  one  of  the  highest  and  strong- 
est walls  that  has  surrounded  this  nation.  Until 
a  little  more  than  a  half  century  ago,  so-called 
natural  religion  and  earth-born  systems  and 
false  philosophies  have  had  full  sway.  This 
could  not  have  occurred  had  there  been  more 
affinity  between  the  Chinese  and  the  languages 
iof  Christendom.  Now  try  to  convey  your  ideas 
of  a  Saviour — or  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible — 
and  you  are  met  at  the  very  threshold  of  your 
undertaking  ^ylth  the  barrier  of  an  unknown 
tongue.  In  translation,  the  task  is  no  less  diffi- 
cult. 

The  processes  employed  in  other  translations 
must  be  abandoned  here.  Words  cannot  be 
transferred  nor  new  ones  coined.  '^Here  the 
translator  must  seize  fast  hold  of  the  sense  of 
the  original,  and  then,  casting  into  oblivion  the 
old  custom,  strive  to  express  the  same  sense  in 
the  Chinese  characters." 


THE  NINE  CHURCHES.  HT 

Then  the  message  is  so  new — so  out  of  their 
way  of  thinking.  Of  a  Saviour,  of  remission 
of  sins  by  blood,  of  redemption  through  a  cruci- 
fied Christ — they  have  not  the  remotest  idea. 
Begin  to  tell  them  this  wonderful  story  and  you 
receive  at  first  stares  and  iiTesponsive  hearts. 
They  cannot  comprehend  it.  It  goes  in  one  ear 
and  out  of  the  other. 

It  demonstrates  how  we  have  to  preach  Jesus, 
and  Him  crucified,  to  such  a  people,  i.  e.,  like 
to  little  children.  Once  will  not  do,  but  time 
and  time  again  is  required  before  they  can  take 
it  in.  It  demonstrates,  too,  why  so  few  come 
to  understand  it.  They  hear  it  once,  go  to  their 
homes,  and  because  the  laborers  are  so  few, 
with  no  one  to  teach  them,  they  never  come  to 
a  knowledge  of  full  salvation  in  Christ  Jesus. 
No  other  result  can  be  expected  when  the 
Church  places  twenty  missionaries  in  the  midst 
of  3,000,000  souls.  That  is  150,000  souls  to  one 
missionary.  Think  of  it.  With  this  little  di- 
version, we  now  turn  to  the  story. 

So,  this  soul,  longing  for  that  love,  that  pass- 
eth  understanding,  for  that  peace  that  floweth 
like  a  river,  for  that  comfort  that  quieteth  the 
heart,  wended  her  way  homeward,  conscious 
only  of  some  sweet  music,  as  that  ever  old  yet 
ever  new  song  was  borne  and  swept  along^ 
through  the  darkened  chambers  of  her  soul: 
God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  Only 
Begotten  Son. 

Another  day,  a  short  time  after  this,  we  find 
her  again  sitting  at  the    feet    of    dear,    now 


118  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

sainted,  Dr.  Talmage,  learning  the  story  of  the 
<:ross,  as  he  unfolded  it,  in  all  its  simplicity  and 
beauty.  From  him  she  learned  the  meaning  of 
that  message  more  fully,  and  so  learned  until 
the  time  came  tha^  she  committe<i  her  soul  and 
life  into  the  keeping  of  her  Blessed  Saviour. 
Thus  her  life,  her  Christian  experience,  ever 
flowed  on  peacefully  and  quietly  like  a  great 
deep  river. 

Indeed,  it  w^as  a  beautiful  life.  We  can  see 
her  now,  at  eighty  years  of  age,  a  dear  old 
mother  in  Israel.  How  glad  she  was,  what  a 
cordial  welcome  she  gave  us,  when  we  mission- 
aries visited  the  little  church  at  Te-Soa,  which 
she  loved,  and  where  she  loved  to  meet  with 
God's  children  and  worship  Him.  She  was  the 
first  convert  to  Christianity  in  Te-Soa.  She  it 
was  Avho  lirst  invited  the  missionaries  to  come 
there  and  tell  of  the  love  of  the  wonderful  Sa- 
viour, Avhom  she  already  learned  to  love  and 
follow.  To  her,  we  may  say,  we  owe  the  Hong- 
San  Church,  and  whose  future  prosperity  and 
welfare  was  her  deepest  concern.  God  blessed 
her  life,  crowned  her  with  His  loving  favor, 
granted  her  long  years,  permitted  her  to  see 
the  walls  of  her  Zion  strengthened — and  all  her 
children  and  many  of  her  grandchildren  and 
neighbors  gathered  into  the  fold.  Ko  disease 
had  carried  her  away.  She  was  just  tired  out, 
and  she  laid  down  and  slept  in  the  arms  of 
Jesus.  A  calm  and  peaceful  end  of  a  sweet  and 
gentle  life. 

Such  was  the  origin  of  the  church  of  Hong- 


Chha-than  po  Chapel. 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  H^ 

San.  Had  all  the  otiier  souls  in  Te-Soa  and 
Ang-tung-thau  been  as  anxiously  concerned 
about  their  salvation  as  Mrs.  Lee  a  larger  mem- 
bership would  be  recorded  than  is  now  afforded. 
Planted  in  the  midst  of  rankest  idolatry,  every 
effort  was  made  by  the  people  to  choke  rather 
than  to  encourage  the  Word  that  was  being  sown 
in  their  midst.  Thank  God  the  church  is  planted 
upon  the  solid  rock,— and  she  can  never  be 
moved.  And  the  Word  shall  accomplish  that 
which  He  pleaseth. 

Te-Soa  became  a  regularly  appointed  out-sta- 
tion of  the  Second  Church  of  Amoy,  in  18(>2y 
and  the  present  chapel  built  in  1874. 

Ang-tung-thau  became  an  out-station  in  1805, 
and  its  present  chapel  erected  in  1867,  the  con- 
gregation bearing  one-third  of  its  cost. 

The  church  organization  occurred  on  Novem- 
ber 27th,  1870. 

The  present  pastor,  and  the  first  to  be  in- 
stalled over  this  church,  the  Eev.  lu  Ho-Sul, 
was  ordained  and  installed  in  1889. 

There  is  one  out-station  connected  with  the 
church,  viz.:  Te-thau. 

The  present  membership  is  59. 


CHIANG-CHIU    CHURCH. 

First  pastor,  Eev.  Ti  Peng-teng,  1882-'84j 
second  pastor.  Rev.  Chhoa  Thian-Khit,  1884. 

The  Chiang-Chiu  Church  is  located  in  the  city 
of  Chiang-Chiu,  an  important  centre  of  a  large 
district,  equal  in  size  to  Schoharie  County,  N. 
Y.    With  a  population  of  its  own  of  200,000, 


120  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

and  with  five  towns  and  200  villag^es  with,  an 
estimated  population  of  100,000,  lying  within 
easy  distance  to  the  city,  and  at  the  same  time 
being  one  of  the  chief  commercial  ports  (native) 
of  this  whole  territory,  and  also  a  seat  of  learn- 
ing wliei'e  the  annual  examinations  occur,  bring- 
ing thousands  of  students  within  its  limit,  makes 
it  one  of  the  most  strategic  and  commanding 
centres  that  any  mission  might  well  congratu- 
late itself  in  being  able  to  occupy. 

Yet,  we  have  been  slow  in  occupying  it  as 
we  should.  True,  we  have  a  church  there,  but 
we  should  also  have  a  missionary  and  his  family- 
there  to  superintend  this  vast  field  of  useful- 
ness. The  London  Missionary  Society  has 
been  less  slow  in  comprehending  the  situation. 
They  have  put  a  large  double  house  on  some 
land  they  bought  five  years  ago  (1888),  and  have 
located  there  a  missionary  and  his  family,  and 
a  doctor  and  his  family.  Our  work  is  neglected, 
and  has  been  neglected  for  twenty  years. 

Permanent  work  was  begun  here  under  the 
supervision  of  Rev.  Wm.  C.  Burns,  of  the  Eng- 
lish Presbyterian  Mission,  in  1853.  Prepara- 
tioas  were  being  made  at  this  early  date  to  oc- 
cupy a  place  in  the  city  as  a  regular  preaching 
place,  and  the  native  evangelist,  Mr.  U.  Ten- 
ang,  had  been  sent  there  with  a  colporteur  for 
that  purpose.  The  results  of  tliat  undertaking 
have  already  been  recorded  in  a  former  chapter. 

Midst  wars  and  rumors  of  wars,  both  the  Ee- 
formed  (Dutch)  Church  Mission  and  the  E.  P. 
Mission  jointly  continued  the  work  in  the  city. 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  121 

In  1863  it  was  made  an  out-station  of  the  Chioh- 
fbe  Church. 

Early  in  the  '60s  the  hottest  fires  of  the  dire 
"rebellion"  came  sweeping  up  against  the  city 
with  all  its  fierceness  and  fury.  The  city  was 
again  captured,  and  a  terrible  massacre 
nearly  wiped  out  the  little  congregation  and 
left  the  greater  part  of  the  city  in  ruins.  In 
1865  the  work  was  committed  entirely  to  our 
care,  and  from  the  ashes  of  this  severe  perse- 
cution we  may  say  the  present  church  has  risen. 
In  1868  lots  were  purchased  and  a  building  con- 
templated. Three  years  after,  in  1871,  the 
church  organization  occurred,  being  set  off  from 
Chioh-be.  A  small  chapel  was  then  erected  and 
publk  worship  begun  in  it.  In  1874  the  pres- 
ent <  ommodious  church  was  erected.  The  old 
chapel  was  converted  into  a  school-house.  The 
first  pastor.  Rev.  Ti  Peng-te3g  (licensed  in  1873), 
was  ordained  and  installed  in  June,  1882.  The 
second  pastor,  Rev.  Chhoa  Thian-Khit,  called 
from  the  First  Church  of  Amoy,  was  installed 
in  1884.  There  is  one  out-station  at  the  present 
time  connected  with  this  church,  viz.:  Chhoa- 
poa.  Before  the  Thian-San  Church  was  organ- 
ized, the  congregation  at  Thian-po  and  Soa-sia 
were  members  of  this  church,  and  these  places 
out-stations.  The  present  membership  is  98. 
TMan-San  took  sixty  or  seventy  of  her  members. 


TONG-AN    CHURCH. 

First  pastor,  Lim  Chi-Seng,  1890. 

Tong-an  is  another  centre  of  a  wide  and  fer- 


122  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

tile  valley.  Standing  on  a  hill  near  the  city,  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach  in  almost  every  direc- 
tion, village  after  village  may  be  seen,  with 
their  teeming  population.  There  is  no  foreign 
missionary  residing  here.    There  should  be  one. 

Rev.  Wm.  C.  Burns,  in  his  indefatigable  zeal 
to  preach  the  Gospel  in  every  nook  and  corner 
of  this  territory,  it  would  seem,  pushed  on  until 
his  feet  stood  within  this  city  too,  and  thence 
proclaimed  the  Gospel  message  (1853). 

In  the  year  1866  our  Mission  began  negotiat- 
ing for  a  room  or  two,  in  which  they  wished  to 
hold  public  services  for  the  worship  of  the  true 
God.  In  the  following  year  a  house  was  rented, 
and  Tong-an  became  an  out-station  of  the  Sec- 
ond Church  of  Amoy.  The  first  converts  were 
baptized  by  Rev.  lap  Hau-Chiong  in  1870. 

In  1871  larger  quarters  were  secured  and  a 
church  organization  was  formed  with  thirty- 
four  members.  In  1887  the  church  succeeded  in 
buying  the  property  they  had  been  renting  'for 
six  years.  In  1891,  with  some  funds  that  a  ser- 
vant in  Dr.  Kip's  family  in  America  had  willed 
to  be  used  for  such  purpose  in  Amoy,  a  new  and 
large  church  was  erected. 

The  first  pastor,  Rev.  Lim  Chi-seng,  was  or- 
dained and  installed  in  1890. 

There  are  two  out-stations  connected  with  the 
church,  viz.:  Poa-thau-chhi  and  Ko-Soa.  The 
present  membership  is  99. 

Outside  the  city  of  Amoy  probably  there  was 
no  new  enterprise  but  what  met  with  bitter 
opposition.    The  same  spirit  was  manifested  at 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  123 

Tong-an  as  elsewhere.  Once  they  set  the  ol<i 
chapel  on  fire,  but  it  was  discovered  and  ex- 
tinguished before  miich  damage  was  done.  And 
our  presence  has  been  more  or  less  resented 
ever  since.  It  is  not  the  first  time  that  the  Ark 
of  the  Lord  has  awakened  opposition  amongst 
His  enemies.  And  as  in  the  days  of  old,  so 
will  the  day  come  when  Dagon  shall  fall,  and 
all  this  opposition  shall  forever  cease,  not  only 
in  Tong-an,  but  in  the  whole  of  China. 


SIO-KHE    CHURCH. 

First  pastor,  lap  Han-chiong,  1884. 

Sio-Khe  church  is  located  on  a  branch  of  the 
West  River,  in  a  little  market  tow^n  or  village 
of  Sio-Khe.  It  has  only  some  seven  or  eight 
thousand  inhabitants,  but  it  is  the  largest  town 
of  a  populous  valley  twelve  miles  long  and 
three  to  four  miles  wide.  It  is  a  beautiful  plain, 
lying  at  the  foot  of  high  mountains,  thickly 
populated  and  well  cultivated.  The  people  are 
all  industrious  and  quiet,  and  apparently  to-day 
well  disposed  toward  the  Gospel.  There  are 
more  than  3G0  villages  scattered  throughout 
the  plain,  bringing  the  church  in  touch  with 
thousands  of  souls.  Twenty-five  years  ago  tAvo 
men  came  from  Chha-thau-po,  some  ten  miles 
east  of  Sio-Khe,  down  to  the  Amoy  hospital  for 
treatment.  While  there  they  for  the  first  time 
heard  the  Gospel  and  believed,  and  on  their  re- 
turn home  decided  to  give  up  the  worship  of 
idols  and  to  worship  the  true  God.  Not  only 
so,  but  they  began  telling  others  the  "good 


124  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

news,"  and  soon  they  had  a  little  company  of 
believers.  These  two  men  told  all  they  could 
remember  of  what  they  had  heard  in  Amoy, 
when  they  sent  to  Chiang-Chiu  for  some  one 
to  come  and  teach  them  further.  Among  others 
who  responded  to  the  call  was  Dr.  Kip,  who 
found  there  ten  persons  who  had  renounced 
idolatry  and  were  worshippmg  God,  the  best 
they  knew  how.  Soon  after  a  small  building 
was  rented,  and  the  place  became  an  out-station 
of  Ohiang-Chiu.  Alas,  the  little  company  could 
not  withstand  the  severe  trials  and  persecutions 
that  were  visited  upon  them,  and  all  that  re- 
mains of  this  enterprise  is  the  deserted,  house, 
where  the  little  body  of  Christians  were  wont 
to  worship.  And  yet  it  was  not  all  in  vain. 
While  the  Gospel  was  being  preached  in  Chha- 
thau-po,  some  strangers  from  Sio-Khe  were  lis- 
tening. They  in  turn  became  converted  ami  be- 
lievers, and  then  they  <lesired  that  the  people 
in  Sio-Khe  should  hear  the  good  news  too.  But 
the  people  of  Sio-Khe  said  they  did  not  wish  to 
hear,  and  if  they  attempted  to  preach  they 
would  be  driven  out.  Finally  they  said:  "Let 
us  try;  let  us  go  and  preach,  and  see  if  they 
will  stone  us."  They  secured  a  small  room  and 
preached  the  whole  day  unmolested,  and  the 
place  soon  after  came  under  the  charge  of  the 
Chiang-Chiu  Church.  Such  was  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  work  at  Sio-Khe,  whose  usefulness 
and  success  has  ever  been  assured. 

In  1876-'77  the  first  small  chapel  was  built 
and  occupied  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  for 


Dr.  Otte's  Neerbosch  Hospital,  Sio-Khe. 


THE  NINE  CHUECHES.  125 

regular  preaching  and  other  religious  services. 
In  1881  the  church  organization  occurred  with 
seventy  members.'  The  present  and  fii-st  pastor. 
Rev.  lap  Han  Chiong,  was  called  from  the  Sec- 
ond Church  of  Amoy  and  installed  in  1884.  The 
present  large  church  was  buil,t  in  1884-'85,  the 
money  for  it  being  largely  contributed  by  the 
Sunday-schools  of  America.  At  the  same  time 
a  house  for  the  pastor  was  built  next  to  the 
church.  In  188G-'87  a  missionary's  residence 
was  built  adjoining  the  church  i)roperty.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Kip  were  the  first  to  occupy  it  per- 
manently. 

In  1888-'89  Dr.  Otte's  house  and  hospital  were 
built,  when  he  and  Mrs.  Otte  also  took  up  their 
quarters  there,  and  thus  by  the  introduction  of 
medicine,  the  field  was  better  equipped  for 
greater  usefulness.  Upon  Dr.  and  Mz^.  Kip^s 
return  to  America,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Dyck  oc- 
cupied the  missionary's  house  for  about  tw^o 
years.  And  when  they  returned  to  America, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fagg  took  up  their  habitation 
there.  Subsequently  Mr.  Fagg  took  charge  of 
the  work  in  the  theological  seminary,  when  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Kip  again  moved  in.  Miss  Nellie 
Zwemer  joined  the  forces  at  Sio-Khe  in  1892, 
and  is  living  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Otte.  She,  with 
Mrs.  Kip,  have  charge  of  the  girls'  school  .there, 
and  together  visit  the  women  of  that  region.  In 
1891  (end)  the  Sio-Khe  Church  had  a  member- 
ship of  240,  and  with  a  glorious  history  back 
of  her  and  a  bright  future  before  her,  what 
more  can  be  asked  than  God's  continued  favor. 


126  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

There  are  six  out-stations,  viz.:  Lam-sin,'*  Poa-a, 
Toa-Klie,  Soa-pi,  E-che,  and  Toa-lo-teng,  and 
Ko-Khi. 


THIAN-SAN   CHURCH. 

First  pastor,  Tiong  Lu-li,  1891. 

Thian-po  and  Soa-sia  were  out-stations  of 
Chiaug'-Chiu  from  187G-'91.  The  Thian-san 
Church  was  organized  in  1891,  and  has  one  out- 
station,  viz. :  Leng-Soa.  A  new  chapel  and  pas- 
tor's house  was  built  with  the  remaining  money 
of  the  legacy  that  that  servant  woman  be- 
queathed to  the  Mission  (the  other  portion,  as 
already  stated,  being  used  to  build  the  church 
at  Toug-an). 

The  first  i)astor,  Tiong  Lu-li,  formerl}^  pastor 
at  Chioh-be,  was  installed  in  1891.  A  complete 
change  had  taken  place  during  the  twenty  years. 
He  had  been  thoroughly  humbled,  and  has  ever 
since  manifested  a  truly  humble  and  consecrated 
life.  And  the  Church  rejoices  that  he  could  be 
welcomed  back  to  his  holy  office.  The  future, 
of  the  young  enterprise  is  bright;  her  history 
is  yet  to  be  written.  The  j^resent  membership 
is  73. 


UNORDAINED    EVANGELISTS    AND    OTHERS. 

Connected  with  this  organized  work,  reviewed 
in  the  foregoing  pages,  the  names  of  the  help- 
ers, teachers  and  Bible  women  should  be  en- 
rolled.   Their  labors  are  confined  for  the  most 

(4)  The  members  of  this  place  united,  in  1892,  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  English  Presbyterian  stations,  Chia-boe  and  Chen?-poa, 
and  formed  a  new  church  organization,  viz.  :  "  The  Chi-lam 
Church." 


THE  NINE  CHURCHES. 


127 


part  to  the  out-stations  and  the  outlying  regions. 
Some  of  them  are  school-teachers  of  the  paro- 
chial schools. 


Li  Seng-liong, 
8i  Kui-lo, 
Kho  Bok, 
Ong  Ki-Siong,(5) 
Tan  Niii-lo, 
U  Pek4o,(5) 
Khng  Klioaii-ju, 
Li  Biau-lo, 
Lo  Kan-chek, 
Keh  Tong-eng, 
Keh  Tiiai-ohliong 
Te  Chhiu-lo, 
Lim  Kui-lo, 
Lim  Po-tek, 
Li  Siong-Clihi, 
Ng  Ma-hui, 


Mrs.  Kho, (7) 
Mrs.  lu  Giok-ton^ 


BIBLE 


Pan  Tiiong-lo, 
Tan  Oan-lai, 
Tan  Tui-goan, 
Tan  0-ti, 
Anig  Chioh,(6) 
Aug  Thun,(G) 
Ang  Ek,(6) 
Li  Chhun-hiong, 
lu  lok-haa, 
Lim  Put-chai, 
Chhoa  Bian-Seng, 
Kho  Lin-bin, 
Keh   Un-tian, 
Keh  Boah-chui, 
lu  Sui-Kiu, 
lu  lok-lai, 

WOMEN. 

Mrs.  lu  Siu-a, 
Mirs.  Tan,(7) 


TABLE    SHOWING    COMPARATIVE    INCREASE    IN    THE 
WORK,    UNDER   THE   PATRONAGE    OF   THE   RE- 
FORMED   (DUTCH)    CHURCH. 


A.D. 
1857. 

A.D. 
1864. 

3 

348 
37 

$930.87 

A.D. 
1879. 
7 
11 

686 
113 

$1,219.99 

A.D. 
1890 

Out-stations    

1 

172 

12 

968 

Scholars  

10 

240 
$3,382.08 

(5)    Licentiate. 

(7)    Wife  of  evangelist. 


(6)    Chapel  keeper  and.  preacher. 


CHAPTEK  XII. 


THE  BENEVOLENCE  OF  THE  AMOY  ClIUECHES. 

Not  only  for  its  wonderful  growth,  not  only 
for  its  marked  spirituality  and  solid  orthodoxy, 
has  the  history  of  the  Amoy  Church,  i.  e.,  tihe 
Church  of  Christ  in  Cliina,  been  a  remarkable 
one,  but  also  on  account  of  its  consecrated  spirit 
of  liberality. 

To  pause  for  a  moment  to  consider  the  amount 
of  money  contributed  by  these  native  Chris- 
tians for  the  past  ten  years — ^less  than  one  thou- 
sand Christians  giving  |23,702.94 — is  a  suifi.- 
cien^t  proof  that  these  are  no  empty  words,  but 
most  profoundly  teaching  that  they  have  in 
some  measure  received  the  sublime  inspiration 
of  the  gentle  coumiand  of  their  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter: "Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 

If  you  will  turn  to  General  S^Tiod  Report  of 
1892  you  will  see  that  the  Christians  connected 
with  our  Amoy  churches  contributed  during 
the  year  1891  the  sum  of  |3,382.08.  As  968 
members  gave  this  sum,  it  amounts  to  very 
nearly  |3  50  per  capita. 

^  At  first  sight,  that  nmy  not  seem  very  start- 
ling. But  one  or  two  things  must  be  understood 
before  we  can  appreciate  those  figures. 

First  of  all,  a  Chinaman's  estimate  of  a  dol- 
lar is  about  ten  times  as  high  as  ours,  simply 


BENEVOLENCE  OF  THE  AMOY  CHURCHES.  129 

because  it  is  ten  times  as  difficult  for  him  to 
make  a  dollar.  So,  really  it  stands  for  |35. 
And  this  fact  we  will  endeavor  to  demonstrate. 
The  medium  of  exchange  in  China,  i.  e.,  the  na- 
tional currency,  is  a  copper  ''cash"  (the  only 
€oin  the  Government  issues),  equal  in  our  cur- 
rency ,to  one  mill.  This  is  the  coin  for  which 
they  toil — this  tlieir  medium  for  buying  and  sell- 
ing. 

When  I  tell  you  that  a  good  mechauic,  a  car- 
penter, or  mason,  earns  only  three  hundred  of 
them  a  day,  and  many  classes  of  laborers  earn 
no  more  than  one  hundred  (i.  e.,  thirty  and  ten 
cents  respectively),  and  that  it  requires  1,040 
of  them  to  make  a  Mexican  dollar  (i.  e.,  about 
1,200  to  make  an  American  dollar),  and  that  it 
requires  thirty-six  hundred  of  them  to  make 
$3.50,  you  may  be  able  to  get  some  idea  what  it 
means  when  they  contribute  this  amo.unt.  Three 
dollars  and  a  half  does  neither  represent  the 
sum  or  the  sacrihces  made  to  accumulate  it. 
Compared  with  our  own  country,  the  struggle 
for  existence  and  the  maintenance  of  a  bare  sub- 
sistence is  tenfold  intensified,  and  the  accumu- 
lation of  fortunes  well  nigh  impossible. 

Compare  these  daily  wages  with  the  daily 
wages  of  the  mechanic,  the  carpenter  and  the 
common  laborer  of  this  country  (and  the  income 
of  the  wealthy  as  well),  viz.:  |3  and  |1.50  per 
diem,  and  can  any  one  say  that  it  is  an  exag- 
geration to  place  this  sum  per  capita  at  |35? 

The  labor  markets  and  all  avenues  of  busi- 
ness are  crammed  and  jammed  because  there 


130  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

are  no  outlets  provided  for  the  miglitj  army 
of  stragglers.  Not  because  there  are  no  ave- 
nues. Natural  resources  abound  in  this  ''flow- 
ery land."  Coal  mines,  silver  mines,  and  even 
gold  mines,  lie  buried  and  untouched.  But 
just  on  accoimt  of  that  antiquated  superstition 
of  an  old  dragon  that  is  slumbering  underneath 
the  soil,  whose  majestic  silence  must  not  be 
disturbed,  they  everywhere  remain  hermetically 
sealed.  Touch  them  with  pick  or  spade,  and 
dire  calamity  would  sweep  over  the  land  from 
the  desert  to  the  sea — so  the  everlasting  grind 
goes  on. 

That's  what  it  means — all  this  apprehension, 
all  this  superstition,  besides  a  hundred  other 
ills  with  which  to  combat.  Taking  our  circum- 
stances in  consideration,  our  advantages,  our 
open  avenues  of  industr}^,  our  supi)ly  and  de- 
mand, we  venture  to  say  that  it  is  as  easy  for 
us  to  contribute  |35  per  capita  as  it  is  for  the 
Christians  of  Amoy  to  contribute  |3.50. 

And  so,  in  the  second  place,  it  follows  at  the 
lowest  estimate,  we  have  ten  dollars  to  use 
where  they  have  one.  Moreover,  the  Chinaman 
considers  spending  one  dollar  of  as  much  im- 
portance as  we  do  spending  ten.  And  where 
we  would  hestitate  in  spending  a  cent,  they 
wrangle  and  fuss  over  a  cash  (one-tenth  of  a 
cent).  So  it  is  in  all  their  monetary  affairs, 
whether  it  be  a  dollar  or  a  cash,  as  daily  inter- 
course with  them  bears  painful  testimony. 

Beainng  in  mind,  then,  some  such  relative 
estimations  of  money  value,  do  we  overstate  it 


BENEVOLENCE  OF  THE  AMOY  CHURCHES.     131 

When  we  say  that  the  sacrifice  is  ten  times 
more,  and  the  real  amount  ten  times  more  than 
the  figures  show?  Ah,  but  some  one  says,  that 
IS  all  very  well;  but,  excuse  me,  you  have  most 
grievously  failed  to  consider  that  the  Chinese 
have  not  so  many  wants  (?)  as  we  have;  he  does 
not  require  the  food,  the  homes,  nor  are  the 
necessities  such  as  ours. 

Very  good.    Shall  we  say  that  their  wants 
needs,  etc.,  etc.,  are  five  times  less  than  ours*^ 
Oh!  more  than  that.    Well,  then,  let  us  main- 
tain the  same  comparison  here  as  above,  and 
we  will  say  they  are  ten  times  less  in  every 
count.    But  does  this  alter  the  situation?    The 
Chinaman,  you  say,  has  wants  and  needs,  etc 
etc.,  be  they  what  they  may,  ten  times  less  than 
yours.    Still,  you  make  a  sad  and  fatal  mis- 
take If  you  do  not  remember  that  they  have 
t^n  times  less  capital  to  supply  them.    So  too 
wo  must  remember  that  with  needs  ten  times 
less  than  ours,  and  with  ten  times  less  capital 
to  supply  them,  somehow  they  manage  to  give 
f ':^3  (equivalent)  per  capita  to  the  Lord 

^ow,  if  the  Chinamen  have  wants  ten  times 
less  than  (mr.^  it  must  follow  that  we  have 
wants,  needs,  etc.,  etc.,  ten  times  in  excess  of 
theirs,  and  having  ten  times  as  much  capital 
to  supply  them,  we  should  maintain  something 
like  an  equality  in  our  benevolence.  But  the 
tact  IS,  we  do  not.  For  all  purposes,  foreign, 
^iomestic,  ministers'  salaries,  etc.,  etc.,  we  some! 
how  manage  to  give  barely  |15  to  the  Lord 
per  capita. 


132  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

But  this  is  no  argument,  for  we  have  never 
yet  become  acquainted  with  or  heard  of  a  China- 
man whose  wants,  needs,  etc.,  etc.,  did  not  com- 
pare favorably  with  ours.  The  fact  is,  that  our 
ohl  Edenic  grandfather  made  us  all  alike.  We 
all  have  wants  like  Babel  towers,  and  our  needs 
and  necessities  are  sometimes  aggravated  by 
circumstances  alone.  Be  that  as  it  may,  let 
me  say  to  you  that  the  Chinaman  has  needs  and 
necessities  that  are  never  supplied,  and  never 
will  be  until  he  reaches  the  better  land.  Please 
remember  this  while  you  read  these  figures. 
That  this  giving  of  the  Chinese  is  no  spasmodic 
attack  of  benevolence,  but  the  steady,  healthy 
growth  in  their  spiritual  life,  the  following  table 
amply  testifies: 

In  1882  750  (Jhurch  Members  (net)  gave $1,877.32 

"  1883  758  "  "  "         ].958.75 

"   1884  742  "  "  «♦         i;631.77 

"  1885  783  "  "  "         2,107.37 

"1886  804  "  "  " 2  076.29 

"  1887  835  '•  "  "         2.866.70 

"   1888  861  *'  "  " 2,367.60 

"  1889  855  "  "  " 2,5;^5.00 

"  1890  899  "  "  "         2,900.00 

"  1891(1)  908  "  "  "          3,382.08 

Net  tx)tal..068        "  "  "         $23,702.94(2) 

(1)  In  1892,   1,008  Church  members  gave  $3,894.80 

(2)  Yearly   average  $2.80. 

THE    NATIVE    HAK-KA    MISSION. 

To  further  demonstrate  the  character  of  the 
Chinese  Christians,  we  bring  this  part  of  the 
review  to  a  close  by  a  brief  mention  of  their 
missionary  spirit.  Having  acquired  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  blessed  Gospel  themselves,  they 
are  endeavoring  to  carry  the  "good  news"  to 
their  brethren  still  in  darkness. 

The  Hak-Kas  are  a  race  of  people  (perhaps 


BENEVOLENCE  OP  THE  MIOY  CHUECHES.    133 

aborigines)  living  by  themselves  and  under  their 
own  laws,  some  twenty  miles  west  of  Amoy, 
speaking  an  entirely  different  dialect,  and,  on 
the  whole,  a  different  race  from  tlie  Chinese. 
In  1881  a  committee  was  appointed  to  brino^ 
the  subject  of  establishing  a  mission  amongst 
this  people  before  Tai-hoey.    In  1882  $200  was 
subscribed  by  the  native  church  for  its  support 
aad  the  work  begun.    The  progress  has  been 
slow   and   often   discouraging.    In   1891   there 
was  a  church  of  eighteen  souls;  three  had  been 
received  on  confession,  two  died,   one  excom- 
municated,   one   suspen.le.J,   three  adults  bap- 
tized and  117.10  contributed. 

In  one  other  way  do  the  native  Christians 
seek  to  make  known  the  message  unto  their 
brethren.    Every  Tuesday  at  Amoy  (and  once 
a  month  in  the  country)  a  company  of  Chris- 
tians an.l  missionaries  (male  and  female)  meets 
in  one  of  the  chapels,  where  they  hold  a  short 
service  of  prayer,  then  go  out  by  twos  or  threes 
and  preach  in  the  streets.    TJie  ladies  visit  tlie 
homes  and  tell  the  Gospel  story  there       This 
IS   called   the   Po-to-hoe,    which   means,    "The 
Proclamation  of  the  Gospel  Meeting."      Thus 
m  these  ways  the  Gospel  is  being  made  known. 
But  there  are  other  ways  which  we  must  also 
consider. 


OHAPTEE  XIII. 


TWO  NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS. 
The  two  political  movements  alluded  to  in 
these  pages,  viz.:  "The  Tai-peng  Rebellion"  and 
"The  Anti-Missionary  Movement  in  South 
China,"  inasmuch  as  they  both  played  a  part 
in  the  history  of  religious  events  in  the  dis- 
trict and  city  of  Amoy,  may  well  claim  a  spe- 
cial though  brief  consideration  in  this  narra^ 
tion. 


THE    TAI-PENO    REBEILLION. 

The  reign  of  Ham-hong,  the  seventh  Emperor 
of  the  Manchu  Dynasty  (1850-'64),  was  estab- 
lished upon  a  crumbling  and  disintegrating 
Em]iire.  The  affairs  of  the  nation  had  reached 
a  crisis.  The  old  ship  of  state  had  been  about 
stranded  by  the  preceding  Emperor,  To-Kong, 
and  when  Ham-kong  took  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment, the  political  affairs  of  the  nation  were  in 
a  greatly  unsettled  condition. 

His  father  had  been  most  profuse  in  his  prom- 
ises of  reformatory  measures  for  the  good  of 
his  subjects,  but  they  had  failed  to  materialize. 
This  made  fhe  clamoring  of  the  people  still 
louder  and  still  more  urgent  upon  the  advent 
of  the  new  and  young  Emperor.  For  thirty 
years  the  people  had  been  pleading  for  justice, 
and  that  cruel   oppression   and  abuses  might 


TWO   NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS.       135 

cease.  For  thirty  years  they  had  pleaded  in  vain. 
So  now  at  the  very  threshold  of  the  new  order 
of  events  the  voice  of  the  people  was  heard  in 
no  uncertain  sound  asking  again  for  reform 
in  order  that  the  ship  of  state  might  not  be- 
come a  total  Avreck. 

At  first  the  young  Emperor  professed  to  take 
a  deep  interest  in  these  demands,  and,  like  his 
predecessor,  promised  much,  and,  like  him,  per- 
formed little  for  the  redress  of  the  people.  He 
soon  lapsed  into  the  ways  of  his  fathers.  By 
surrounding  himself  with  wives  and  concubines, 
and  by  indulging  in  all  forms  of  sensual  pleas- 
ure and  amusement,  the  nation's  welfare  and 
the  people's  interest  were  furthest  from  his 
thoughts  and  appai-ently  soon  entirely  forgot- 
ten. 

When  the  people  saw  their  rights  thus  de- 
liberately trampled  in  the  dust,  and  seeing  at 
the  same  time  no  hope  of  realizing  the  needed 
reform  from  that  source  from  which  they  sought 
it,  and  had  every  reason  to  expect  it,  their  pas- 
sions wei^  Avrouglit  up,  and  to  the  highest  ten- 
sion. 

Under  such  a  condition  of  affairs  it  was  not 
long  before  the  spirit  of  insurrection  against 
the  Government  began  to  manifest  itself,  espe- 
cially in  the  Kwang-si  Province.  The  spark 
was  soon  kindled  into  a  flame,  until  not  only 
Kwang-si,  but  Hunan  and  Hu-peh  were  afire 
with  the  spirit  of  rebellion.  Now  the  cry  was 
not  only  for  reform,  but  the  banishment  of  the 


136  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

Tartar  Emperor  and  the  establishment  of  a 
purely  Chinese  Dynasty  instead. 

As  a  leader  in  this  cause,  one  who  claimed 
to  be  a  descendant  of  the  Mings  (the  x)receding 
Dynasty,  13G7-1644,)  presented  himself,  and 
under  the  title  of  Thian-te,  "Heavenly  Virtue," 
undertook  to  drive  out  the  Tartar  and  re-estab- 
lish the  Mings  in  power. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  country  when 
we  make  the  acquaintance  of  Hung  Su-chuen, 
the  leader  of  what  has  become  the  notable  "Tai- 
peng  Rebellion  (1850-'G4).  In  view  of  the  fore- 
going, it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  time  was 
ripe  for  such  a  conflict. 

It  is  now  necessary  to  demonstrate,  if  possi- 
ble, how  Hung  Su-chuen  became  identified  with 
and  the  leader  in  tliis  insurrection,  the  most 
marvelous  that  has  engaged  the  attention  of 
men. 

Hung  Su-chuen  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
movement  in  behalf  of  that  reform  that  was 
startesl  by  the  people,  and  of  which  Thian-te 
assumed  the  leadership,  but  on  account  of 
events  that  he  was  unable  to  control,  he  was 
obliged  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  insurgents, 
and  finally  became  the  leader. 

Hung  Su-chuen  was  a  native  of  the  Kwang- 
tung  Province,  and  at  the  time  of  these  events 
was  about  forty  years  old,  having  been  born 
near  Canton  in  1813.  He  was  a  literary  grad- 
uate and  a  teacher  by  profession. 

During  one  of  his  examination  periods  at 
Canton,  portions  of  the  Old  Testament  and  some 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAL  EVENTS.       13T 

Christian  tracts  fell  under  his  notice.  At  the 
time,  the  contents  of  these  books  made  but  lit- 
tle if  any  impression  upon  him.  In  1837,  after 
failing  in  an  examination,  he  became  despond- 
ent, which  finally  ended  in  a  serious  siege  of 
illness.  While  he  was  ill  he  had  a  most  vivid 
dream,  which  made  such  a  deep  impression 
upon  his  mind  that  he  could  not  forg^et  it.  In 
his  dream  he  was  caught  up  into  Heaven  and 
stood  in  the  presence  of  God  and  Jesus,  ''who 
exhorted  him  to  live  a  virtuous  life,"  and  exter- 
minate imps  from  the  nation.  He  claimed  to 
be  washed  from  all  the  imi)urities  of  his  nature, 
and  to  be  possessed  of  a  new  heart.  He  spoke 
of  God  as  "Heavenly  Father,"  and  of  Jesus  as 
"Heavenly,  or  Celestial,   Elder  Brother." 

Six  years  after  this  passed  away,  yet  no  change 
in  his  outward  life  is  apparent.  He  still  pur- 
sues his  literary  course  and  performs  the  duties 
of  a  village  schoolmaster  in  the  Province  of 
Kwang-si.  But  in  1843  his  attention  is  once 
more  directed,  by  a  friend,  to  the  books  he  had 
abandoned  and  shelved  some  six  or  seven  years 
before.  In  tliem  he  was  led  to  believe  tliat  he 
had  found  an  interpretation  to  his  di-eams.  Per- 
ceiving the  fearful  denunciations  thundered 
against  all  forms  of  idolatry,  he  concluded  thait 
^Hhe  imps"  referred  to  in  his  dream  must  be 
the  idols  of  the  land. 

He  then  embraced  Christianity  as  he  under- 
stood it.  Some  historians  affirm  that  he  was 
baptized  by  the  missionary  M.  Gutzlaff;  others 
say  he  and  this  "friend"  baptized  each  other 


138  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

and  then  began  to  propagate  his  system  of  re- 
ligion, "containing  a  modicum  of  Christian 
truth,  together  with  many  singular  misconcep- 
tions and  vagaries  of  their  imaginations.'^ 

Hung  Su-chuen  began  his  iconoclastic  cam- 
paign by  demolishing  the  tablet  of  Confucius 
that  was  standing  in  the  village  school-room. 
Such  an  act  created  a  tremendous  furor  in  the 
little  hamlet  where  he  w^as  teacher.  Parents 
whose  children  were  under  his  instruction  be- 
came alarmed  and  gTeatly  excited;  sought 
an  explanation  of  such  startling  innovations. 
His  reasons  were  frankly  given,  and  they  proved 
so  sufficient  that  they  became  his  ardent  sup- 
porters and  followers. 

Then  came  the  elders,  or  headmen,  of  the 
village  with  their  remonstrances,  but  they  like- 
wise fell  capti^-e  to  his  arguments  and  enlisted 
under  his  banners.  From  village  to  village  the 
new  religion  spread,  until  within  a  very  short 
period  the  number  of  converts  had  swelled  to 
the  marvelous  number  of  5,000,  and  in  1851  the 
number  had  increased  to  12,000. 

Temples,  idols  and  all  forms  of  idolatry  began 
to  fall  before  the  enthusiastic  host  like  grass 
before  tlie  mower.  And  when  it  seemed  as 
though  the  ancient  system  and  customs  of  5,000 
years  were  to  be  swept  away  without  a  mo- 
ment's notice,  the  officials  began  to  be  alarmed 
and  sought  to  put  a  stop  to  this  awful  dese- 
cration. A  price  was  set  upon  the  head  of 
Hung  Su-chuen.  Dead  or  alive,  the  officials 
wanted  him.    True  as  steel  were  the  people  to 


TWO   NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS.       139 

the  leader,  and  rather  than  betray  him  to  the 
authorities  they  wouhl  die  first.  Failing  in  this, 
the  provincial  authorities  of  Kwang-si  sent  the 
Imperial  forces  against  the  new  sect  to  extermi- 
nate it.  Even  their  effor-t  met  Avith  ignoble 
failure,  for  it  resulted  in  the  total  destruction 
of  the  proAoncial  troops. 

Up  to  this  time  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  Hung 
Su-chuen  and  his  followers  had  no  other  motive 
than  the  desire  for  freedom  of  worship,  and  to 
worship  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  con- 
science. 

But  now  a  crisis  was  at  hand.  Events  that 
he  could  not  control  were  changing  the  char- 
acter of  his  movements.  He  ha<l  not  only 
routed,  but  he  had  slain  the  Imperial  guards- 
men, and  now  he  assumed  that  the  whole  Gov- 
ernment would  oppose  him,  and  if  he  expected 
to  succeed  he  must  fortify  himself  behind 
stronger  barricades  than  were  now  in  his  pos- 
session. It  T^'as  probably  then  at  this  time  he 
joined  forces  with  the  reformers  and  became 
the  leader  of  that  greater  movement,  whose  aimi 
was  to  drive  the  Manchus  from  the  dragon 
throne.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  now,  at  any  rate, 
assumed  the  name  of  Tai-peng,  ''The  (xrand 
Pacitlcator,'^  and  proclaimed  himself  the  head 
of  the  new  Dynasty — Tai-i)eug  thian  Kok,  i.  e., 
"The  l*eaceful  Heavenly  Kingdom." 

The  Pretender  was  not  popular,  and  under  his 
leadership  the  cause  made  no  progi^ess.  But 
when  Hung  Bu-chuen,  endowed  both  with  re- 
ligious  as   well   as  with  political  enthusiasm, 


140  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

became  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  move- 
ment another  condition  of  affairs  immediately 
occurred.  He  speedily  won  the  affection  of  all 
the  enlisted  troops,  and  so  fired  them  with  his 
enthusiasm  that  victory  perched  upon  their 
banners  all  al(?Qg  their  w^ay  from  Kwang-si  in 
the  southwest  to  Keang-se  in  the  northeast. 
Various  secret  societies  joined  the  moyement 
until  there  w^as  an  army  of  about  50,000  enlisted 
men  in  the  field. 

This  army  soon  received  the  sobriquet  of 
"The  Long-haired  Rebels,"  because  they  cut 
off  their  cue  (a  token  of  subjection  imposed  upon 
the  Chinese  by  the  Tartars),  ceased  to  shave 
their  heads  and  allowed  their  hair  to  grow  nat- 
urally. 

The  religious  tone  of  the  movement  was  still 
maintained.  Worship  of  God  w^as  observed  in 
every  encampment.  The  camps  were  made  to 
resound  with  religious  hymns  of  i^raise.  Fre- 
quently before  engaging  in  battle  the  troops 
would  have  a  ser\ice  of  prayer.  A  proclama- 
tion Avas  issued  setting  forth  their  belief.  Among 
the  jnany  documents  issued  during  the  period 
of  this  notable  movement  it  is  difficult  to  say 
which  are  genuine  an<l  which  are  apocryphal. 
The  two  inserted  here,  if  not  genuine,  will  give 
at  least  some  idea  of  the  beliefs  of  ''The  Tai- 
peng''  and  his  followers: 

^"According  to  the  Old  Testament,  the  Su- 
preme Lord,  our  Heavenly  Father,  created  in 

(1)  History  of  the  Insurrection  in  China.  By  M.M.  Callery 
and  Yvan,      1853. 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAL  EVENTS.       141 

the  space  of  six  days  heaven  and  eartli,  moun- 
tains and  seas,  men  and  things.  The  Supreme 
Lord  is  a  spiritual,  invisible,  omnipotent  Father, 
knowing  everything-  and  everywhere  present. 
There  is  not  under  Heaven  any  nation  which 
does  not  know  his  power. 

"On  referring  to  the  reminiscences  of  past 
times,  Tvo  find  that  since  the  creation  of  the 
worhl  the  Supreme  Lord  has  often  manifested 
His  disideasure.  How  is  it  then  that  you  peo- 
ple of  the  eartii  are  ignorant  of  Him  still? 

"  On  the  first  occasion,  the  Supreme  Lord  dis- 
played his  wrath  by  causing  a  gTeat  rain  to  fall 
forty  days  and  forty  nights,  Avhich  caused  a 
universal  deluge. 

"On  a  second  occasion,  the  Supreme  Lord 
manifested  His  displeasure  and  brought  Israel 
out  of  Egypt. 

"On  a  third  occasion  He  displayed  His  tre- 
mendous majesty  when  the  Saviour  of  the  world, 
the  Lord  Jesus,  became  incarnate  in  the  land 
of  Ju<lea  and  suffered  for  the  redemption  of  the 
human  race.  And  of  late  again  showed  His 
wratJi  when,  in  the  year  1837,  he  sent  a  celes- 
tial messenger,  whom  he  appointed  to  slay  the 
infernal  bands.  Moreover,  he  has  sent  the  celes- 
tial King  to  take  the  reins  of  empire  into  his 
own  hands  and  save  the  people.  From  the  year 
1818  to  that  of  1851  the  Supreme  Lord  has  been 
moved  by  the  misfortunes  of  the  people  who 
^veye  entangled  in  the  snares  of  the  Evil  Ona 
In  the  third  moon  of  last  year  the  great  Em- 
peror appeared,  and  in  the  nmth  moon  Jesus 


142  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AI^IOY. 

the  Saviour  of  the  world,  manifested  Himself 
by  innumerable  acts  of  powei^,  and  by  the  mas- 
sacre of  innumerable  numbers  of  the  ungodly  in 
many  pitched  battles.  How  then  can  these  chil- 
dren of  Hell  resist  the  majesty  of  Heaven? 

^'How,  we  add,  could  the  wrath  of  the  Su- 
preme Lord  be  otherwise  than  kindled  against 
men  who  worship  corrupt  spirits,  who  give 
themselves  up  to  unclean  actions,  and  thus  de- 
liberately violate  the  Commandments  of  Heaven?^ 
Why  do  ye  not  wake,  all  ye  inhabitants  of  the 
earth?  Why  do  ye  not  rejoice  to  be  born  in  a 
time  when  you  are  permitted  to  witness  the 
glory  of  the  Most  High? 

"  Since  you  fall  into  an  epoch  like  this,  where 
you  will  have  the  surpassing  peace  of  heavenly 
days,  it  is  time  for  you  to  awake  and  be  stirring. 
Those  Avho  fulfill  the  will  of  Heaven  shall  be  pre- 
served, but  those  who  <lisobey  shall  be  torn  in 
pieces. 

'^At  this  moment  the  diabolical  Tartar,  Hien- 
foung  (Ham-hong),  originally  a  Mantchou  (Mau- 
chu)  slave,  is  the  sworn  enemy  of  the  Chinese 
race.  More  than  this,  he  leads  our  brethren  to 
adopt  the  habits  of  demons,  to  adore  evil,  to 
disobey  the  true  spirit,  and  thus  to  rebel  against 
the  Most  High.  Therefore  Heaven  will  not  suf- 
fer him  any  more,  and  men  will  not  fail  in  their 
resolution  to  destroy  him.  Alas!  body  of  vali- 
ant men  as  je  are,  ye  appear  not  to  know  that 
every  tree  has  its  roots,  every  brook  its  source. 
You  seem  as  though  you  wish  to  reverse  the 
order  of  things,  for  while  running  after  the  least 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAL  EVENTS.       143 

advantage  you  so  turn  about  that  you  serve 
your  enemies,  and  being  ensnared  with  the 
wiles  of  the  E\dl  One,  you  ungratefully  rebel 
against  your  rightful  Lord.  You  seem  to  for- 
get that  you  are  the  virtuous  students  of  the 
Chinese  Empire  and  the  honorable  subjects  of 
the  Celestial  Dynasty,  and  thus  you  easily  ^tray 
in  the  path  of  perdition  without  having  pity  on 
yourselves. 

^' And  yet,  among  you  courageous  men  there  are 
many  who  belong  to  the  Society  of  the  Triad, 
and  have  made  the  compact  ef  blood  that  they 
will  unite  their  strength  and  their  talents  for 
the  extermination  of  the  Tartar  Dynasty.  After 
so  solemn  an  engagement,  can  there  be  men  who 
would  shrink  from  the  common  enemy  of  us  all? 

"Thei'e  must  be  now  in  the  provinces  a  great 
number  of  resolute  men,  renowned  men  of  let- 
ters, and  valiant  heroes.  We  therefore  call  upon 
jou  to  unfurl  your  standard  to  proclaim  aloud 
that  you  will  no  longer  live  under  the  same 
Heaven  as  the  Tartars,  but  seek  to  gain  honor 
in  the  service  of  the  new  sovereign.  This  is  the 
ardent  wish  of  us  who  are  his  generals. 

^'Our  army,  desirous  to  act  upon  ^those  feel- 
ings of  kindness  through  w^hich  the  Most  High 
is  pleased  to  spare  the  life  of  man,  and  to  re- 
ceive us  with  a  kiss  of  compassion,  have  shown 
clemency  on  our  march,  and  have  treated  all 
with  mercy.  Our  generals  and  our  troops  ob- 
serve the  greatest  fidelity  with  respect  to  the 
rewards  due  to  the  country.  These  intentions 
are  known  to  you  all.    You  ought  to  know  that 


144  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AJVIOY. 

since  Heaven  has  brought  before  you  the  true- 
sovereign  to  govern  the  people,  it  is  your  duty 
to  aid  in  establishing  His  dominion.  Although 
our  diabolical  enemies  may  be  counted  by  mill- 
ions, and  their  crafty  plans  by  thousands,  they 
cannot  resist  the  decrees  of  Heaven. 

"To  kill  without  warning  is  contrary  to  our 
feelings;  and  to  remain  in  a  state  of  inaction^ 
without  attempting  to  save  the  people,  w^ould 
be  contrary  to  humanity.  Hence,  we  publish  this 
proclamation,  urging  you,  O  i>eople!  to  repent 
in  all  haste,  and  to  awaken  with  energy.  Adore 
the  True  Spirit  and  reject  impure  spirits;  be 
men  for  once  and  cease  to  be  imps  of  the  Devil 
if  you  wish  for  length  of  days  upon  earth  and 
happiness  in  Heaven.  If  you  persist  in  your 
stupid  obstinacy,  the  day  of  destruction  Avill  ar- 
rive, as  well  for  the  precious  stones  as  for  the 
pebbles,  and  then  you  will  vainly  gnaw  every 
finger  in  despair;  but  it  will  then  be  too  late  to 
repent." 

The  second  one,  it  will  be  observed,  was  is- 
sued for  the  benefit  of  foreigners: 

"The  Heavenly  Father,  the  Supreme  Lord,  the- 
Great  God,  in  ih&  beginning  created  heaven  and 
earth,  land  and  sea,  men  and  things,  in  six  days; 
and  from  tliat  time  to  this  the  whole  world  has 
been  one  family,  and  all  within  the  four  seas 
brethren;  how  can  there  exist,  then,  any  differ- 
ence between  man  and  man,  or  how^  any  dis- 
tinction between  principal  and  secondary  birth? 
Cut  from  the  time  that  the  human  race  has  been 
influenced  by  the  demoniacal  agency  which  has. 


TWO   NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS.       145 

entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  they  have  ceased 
to  acknow'ledge  the  great  benevolence  of  God, 
the  Heavenly  Father,  in  giving  and  sustaining 
life,  and  cease<l  to  appreciate  the  infinite  merit 
of  the  expiatory  sacrifice  made  by  Jesus,  our 
Celestial  Elder  Brother,  and  have,  with  lumps 
of  clay,  wood  and  stone,  practised  perversity 
in  the  world.    Hence  it  is  that  the  Tartar  hordes 
and  Elfin  Huns  so  fraudulently  robbed  us  of 
our  celestial  territory  (China).       But,  happily, 
our   Heavenly     Father     and     Celestial     Elder 
Brother  have  from  au  early  date  displayed  their 
miraculous  power  amongst  you  English,   and 
you  ha\'e  long  acknowledged  the  duty  of  wor- 
shipping God  the  Heavenly  Father,  and  Jesus, 
our  Celestial  Brother,  so  that  the  truth  has  been 
preserved  entire   and  the   Gospel  maintained. 
Happily,  too,  the  Celestial  Father,  the  Supreme 
Lord  and  Great  God,  has  now  of  His  infinite 
mercy  sent  a  heavenly  messenger  to  convey  our 
royal  master,    the    Heavenly    King,    up    into 
Heaven,  and  has  personally  endowed  him  with 
power  to  sweep  away    from    the    thirty-thi'ee 
heavens  demoniacal  influences  of  every  kind^ 
and  expel  them  thence  into  tliis  lower  world. 
And,  beyond  all,  happy  it  is  that  the  Heavenly 
Father  and  Great  God  displayed  His  infinite 
mercy  and  compassion  in  coming  down  into  this 
oiir  world  in  the  third  month  of  the  year  1848, 
and  that  Jesus,  our  Celestial  Elder  Brother,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  likewise  manifested  equal 
favor  and  grace  in  descending  to  earth  during 
the  ninth  month  of  the  same  vear,  where  for 


146  Fli^TY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

these  six  years  past  they  have  marvelously 
guided  the  affairs  of  men,  mightily  exhibited 
their  wondrous  power,  and  put  forth  innumer- 
able miraculous  proofs,  exterminating  a  vast 
number  of  imps  and  demons,  and  aiding  our 
Celestial  Sovereign  in  assuming  the  control  of 
the  whole  Empire. 

"  But  now  that  you  distant  English  'have  not 
deemed  myriads  of  miles  too  far  to  come'  and 
acknowledge  our  sovereignty,  not  only  are  the 
.soldiers  and  officers  of  the  Celestial  Dynasty 
delighted  and  gratified  thereby,  but  even  in 
high  Heaven  itself  our  Celestial  Father  and  El- 
der Brother  will  also  admire  this  manifestation 
of  your  fidelity  and  truth.  We  therefore  issue 
this  special  decree,  permitting  you,  the  English 
vchief,  to  lead  your  brethren  out  or  in,  back- 
ward or  forward,  in  full  accordance  with  your 
own  will  or  wish,  whether  to  aid  us  in  extermi- 
nating our  impish  foes  or  to  carry  on  your  com- 
mercial operations  as  usual ;  and  it  is  our  earnest 
Jiope  that  3^ou  will  with  us  earn  the  merit  of 
diligently  serving  our  royal  master,  and  with 
ns  recompense  the  goodness  of  the  Father  of 
Spirits. 

"Wherefore  we  promulgate  this  new  decree 
of  (our  Sovereign)  Tae-ping  (Tai-peng)  for  the  in- 
formation of  you  English,  so  that  all  the  human 
race  msij  learn  to  worship  our  Heavenly  Father 
and  Celestial  Elder  Brother,  and  that  all  may 
know  that,  wherever  our  royal  master  is,  there 
men  unite,  congratulating  him  on  having  ob- 
tained the  decree  to  rule." 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAL  EVENTS.       147 

The  leader,  it  will  be  observed,  still  professed 
to  abhor  all  forms  of  idolatry  and  called  upon 
all  the  good  people  of  the  Empire  to  unite  with 
him  in  this  crusade  of  exterminating  the  idols 
and  temples  as  well  as  the  rulers,  whose  laws 
and  actions  were  vile  and  inhuman. 

The  ever -victorious  army  swept  everything^ 
before  it,  and  after  three  years  it  was  in  pos- 
session of  Nanhin,  the  old  cai)itol,  and  which 
was  immediately  proclaimed  to  be  the  new  Cap- 
itol of  the  Tai-peng  Dynasty.  The  slaughter 
that  followed  the  capture  of  Nankin  was  some- 
thing frightful. 

According  to  the  accounts,  the  army  of  the 
Manchus,  though  well  armed  and  trained,  did 
not  strike  a  blow  in  self-defense,  "but,  throw- 
ing themselves  on  their  faces  and  imploring 
mercy  in  most  abject  terms,  submitted  to  be 
butchered  like  so  many  sheep." 

Out  of  a  population  of  more  than  20,000  only 
about  100  escaped,  men,  women  and  children 
being  mercilessly  put  to  the  sword. 

Amoy,  Chiang-chiu  and  Tong-an  all  suc- 
cumbed to  the  insurgents,  and  much  anxiety 
was  at  one  time  felt  concerning  their  ulterior 
measures.  Some  portions  of  this  district  still 
beai*  the  marks  of  the  rebellion  to  this  day,  and 
many  years  will  pass  before  final  restoration  is^ 
accomplished. 

An  account-  of  an  attempted  recovery  of 
Amoy  by  the  Imperialists  is  before  me.  It 
says:  The  Imperialist  admiral,  with  his  fleet 

(2)    History  of  the  Insurrection  in  China. 


148  FIFTY  YEARS  IN   AMOY. 

of  thirty  junks,  appeared  in  the  harbor.  He 
immediately  landed  1,000  men,  who  marched 
steadily  toward  the  citadel  for  two  miles,  when 
the  rebels  made  a  rush  and  drove  them  back  to 
their  boats  with  a  loss  of  about  twenty  or 
thirty  killed  and  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  pris- 
oners. Next  day  the  rebels  began  trying  the 
prisoners  wdth  great  formality.  They  were  ex- 
ceedingly civil  to  the  Europeans,  placing  chairs 
for  all  who  would  like  to  attend. 

All  the  Tartai's  taken  were  immediately  be- 
headed, the  insurgents  making  no  secret  of  their 
intention  of  utterly  exterminating  the  whole 
race. 

The  other  important  cities  that  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  insurgents  were  Soo-chow,  Ning- 
po,  Kiu-Kiang  and  Chin-Kiang.  Shanghai  was 
threatened,  but  on  account  of  foreign  protec- 
tion resisted  invasion. 

For  many  years  it  seemed  possible  that  the 
Manchus  would  be  overpowered,  and  that  the 
Tai-peng  Dynasty  would  become  established. 
Nothing  seemed  possible  to  stay  the  tide  of 
success  that  was  ever  bearing  along  the  army 
of  the  insurgents  toward  the  capital,  Pekin. 

From  Canton  in  the  south  to  Nankin  in  cen- 
tral China,  the  Imperialists  had  fallen  before 
the  conquering  army  of  the  insurgents. 

And  the  sympathy  of  many  foreigners,  at 
the  beginning  at  least,  was  with  the  Tai-pengs. 
They  hoped  that  by  their  advent  to  power  a 
new  order  of  things  would  be  established  and 
more    friendly    relations    between    foreigners 


TWO   NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS.       149 

adopted.  But  in  these  hopes  they  were  to  be 
disappointed.  The  sequel  of  the  story  may  be 
soon  told. 

After  the  capture  of  Nankin,  the  army  of 
the  insurgents  was  divided  and  sent  into  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  Empire  in  order  to  subjugate 
the  whole  Empire  to  the  Tai-pengs. 

One  portion  of  that  army  marched  forward 
toward  Pekin,  but  it  never  reached  the  capi- 
tal. Within  100  miles  of  the  city  it  was  turned 
(back.  From  this  time  the  cause  of  the  "Long- 
haired Eebels"  began  to  decline.  Being  separ- 
ated from  their  leader,  the  troops  soon  lost  the 
religious  discipline  that  had  been  instituted  by 
the  Grrand  Pacificator. 

Inferior  classes  of  men  were  also  brought  in 
to  take  the  place  of  those  Avho  had  fallen  in  the 
conflict,  and  shortly  the  religious  element,  which 
was  their  chief  source  of  strength,  became 
weaker  and  weaker,  and  finally  departed  alto- 
gether. 

Hung  Su-chuen  became  despondent,  and  even 
fanatical  in  the  extreme.  The  milita^ry  chiefs 
became  suspicious  of  each  other's  motives  and 
began  quarreling  amongst  themselves.  Corrup- 
tion and  dissatisfaction  soon  became  manifested 
among  the  subordinates  and  soldiery.  Then  the 
whole  movement  collapsed.  In  time  it  became 
nothing  more  than  a  guerilla  warfare.  Com- 
merce became  greatly  disturbed.  The  nation 
was  in  a  great  turmoil,  and  finally  all  trade  was 
stagnated.  Foreigners,  though  not  pleased  with, 
the  relations  that  existed  between  them  and  the 


150  FIFTY  \^ARS  IN  AMOY. 

Chinese  Government,  were  compelled  to  recog- 
nize that  after  all  the  Pekin  Government  repre- 
sented law  and  order,  and  its  overthrow  under 
the  present  circumstances  would  be  disastrous 
to  natives  and  foreigners  alike. 

It  was  for  these  reasons  that  the  English 
Army,  uniler  Gordon,  was  sent  on  its  mission 
to  assist  the  Imperialists  to  put  do\\^l  the  re- 
bellion that  had  continued  for  nearly  fourteen 
years.  With  the  ''ever  victorious''  army  of 
"Chinese  Gordon"  (he  received  this  title  at  this 
time)  the  insurgents  were  driven  out  of  all  their 
strongholds,  until  finally,  in  July,  1864,  Nankin, 
the  last  stronghold  that  represented  a  struggle 
of  a  decade  and  more  for  an  empire,  fell,  and 
with  it  the  last  hope  of  the  Tai-pengs.  With 
his  cause  lost.  Hung  8n-chuen  had  no  heart  to 
live,  so  he  died  by  his  own  hand — a  suicide. 

Such  a  movement,  so  vast,  so  momentous, 
though  it  failed  in  its  special  purpose,  could 
not  fail  in  producing  many  beneficial  results  in 
such  a  conservative  and  rut-bound  nation  as 
China. 

The  best  result  of  all  was  the  blow  directed 
against  the  idolatry  of  the  land.  That  blow 
was  for  a  time  well  directed  and  shook  the  an- 
cient systeuas  of  worship  to  their  very  founda- 
tion. 

W'hat  an  eye-opener  it  was  to  these  befogged 
and  benighted  souls  of  the  Orient!  To  those 
who  would  see,  it  was  evident  that  their  gods 
were  useless  and  powerless,  and  could  not  even 
save  themselves  from  insults  or  their  jjlaces  of 


TWO  NOTABLE  POLITICAL  EVENTS.       151 

abode  from  demolition.  Such  was  the  feeling 
that  they  lost  the  confidence  they  formerly  had 
in  these  gods,  for  when  they  saw  "the  wholesale 
destruction  of  their  finest  temples  and  largest 
idols,  and  they  had  not  sufficient  faith  in  them 
to  restore  them,"  "even  when  the  people  went 
to  existing  temples,  where  in  many  cases  they 
had  only  extemporized  idols,  they  worshipi)ed 
with  the  sense  of  the  fact  that  the  gods  had 
been  yanquished,  and  that  their  prestige  had 
passed  away." 

In  so  far  as  this,  then,  the  revolution  did  ac- 
complish one  of  its  aims.  In  a  measure,  it  did 
destroy  some  of  the  power  of  the  "imps,"  if  not 
all  of  the  "imps." 

Twenty -five  years  and  more  have  passed  since 
these  events  recorded  here  and  those  "imps" 
still  reign  over  this  immense  nation.  No  such 
Christianity  as  Hung  Su-chuen  promulgated  can 
ever  destroy  them,  but  only  the  pure  and  unde- 
filed  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

This  is  the  power,  and  the  only  power,  that 
will  SAveep  them  from  the  Empire. 


THE   ANTI-MISSIONARY    MOVEMENT    IN   SOUTH    CHINA. 

This  movement  was  confined  especially  to  the 
Amo}^  district  and  adjacent  localities,  and  is 
therefore  of  particular  interest  to  those  con- 
sidering the  history  of  the  events  of  the  Amoy 
Mission. 

At  the  time  it  created  a  great  excitement 
amongst  the  missionaries  and  foreign  residents 


152  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

at  Amoy.    For  a  time  the  affair  looked  very 
serious  and  the  final  issue  extremely  uncertain. 

An  account  of  this  movement,  its  cause  and 
effects,  has  been  well  sketche<i  in  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  Gen.  C.  W.  LeGrendi'e,  United  States 
Consul  at  Amoj,  by  the  Eev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage, 
September  22d,  1871. 

This  letter  was  published  in  pamphlet  form, 
and  we  can  do  no  better  in  sketching  this  event 
than  to  embody  parts  of  it  here: 

''In  July,  1871,  inflammatory  placards  were 
extensively  posted  throughout  the  region  about 
Canton,  stating  that  foreigners  (some  of  them 
especially  designated  the  French)  had  imported 
a  large  quantity  of  i^oison,  and  had  hired  vaga- 
bond Chinese  to  distribute  it  among  the  peo- 
ple; that  only  foreigners  knew  the  antidote  to 
this  poison,  and  that  they  refused  to  administer 
it  except  for  large  sums  of  money,  or  to  such 
persons  as  embraced  the  f(jreigners'  religion, 
and  in  this  latter  case,  if  the  patients  were 
women,  only  for  the  vilest  purposes.  Of  the  in- 
tense excitement  produced  b^^  these  vile  state- 
ments in  the  Canton  province,  and  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  was  checked,  you  are  as  well 
informed  as  we. 

''In  the  latter  part  of  July  some  of  these  pla- 
cards and  letters  accompanying  them  were  re- 
ceived by  Chinese  at  Amoy  from  their  Canton 
friends.  They  were  copied,  with  changes  to 
suit  this  region,  and  extensively  circulated.  The 
man  at  Amoy  who  seems  to  have  been  the  most 
active  in  their  circulation  was  the  Chham-hu 


TWO  NOTABLE  POUTICAL  EVENTS.       153 

(highest  military  officer  at  Amoy  under  the  ad- 
miral). Almost  immediately  he  united  with  the 
Hai-hong  (highest  civil  officer  at  Amoy  under  the 
Tautai)  in  issuing  a  proclamation,  warning  the 
people  to  be  on  their  guard  against  a  poison, 
which  wicked  people  were  circulating.  This 
proclamation  was  not  only  circulated  in  the  city 
of  Amoy,  but  also  in  the  countrv  around.  It 
did  not  mention  foreigners,  but  the  people  by 
some  other  means  were  made  to  understand  that 
foreigners  were  meant. 

"Thus,  in  the  city  of  Chiang-chiu  (about  thirty 
miles  west  of  Amoy)  there  was  much  excitement 
produced  on  the  fli-st  receipt  of  the  news  from 
Amoy  about  the  poisoning.    Whether  this  was 
caused  by  the  letter  of  the  Chham-hn  to  the 
i>istrict  Magistrate  (its  contents  havino-  been 
made  public  through  the  underlings  of  the  Mag- 
istrate's office),  or  whether  it  was  caused  by 
other  letters  from  Amoy,  we  cannot  decide  with 
certainty.    But,  however  caused,  as  the  people 
saw  no  evidence  of  the  distribution  of  poison 
It  grad,u,lly  subside<l.    Then  it   was  that  the 
District  Magistrate  issued  his  proclamation.  In- 
foming  the  people,   on  the  authority  of  the 
Ohham-hu  of  Amoy,  of  the  danger  of  poison, 
an<l   putting   them  on   their  guard   especially 
against  poison  in  their  wells.    In  this  proclama- 
tion the  word  foreigner  is  no,t  mentioned,  but,  as 
at  Amoy,  the  people  were  otherwise  informed 
tnat  foreigners  were  meant. 

"Two  days  later  the  District  Magistrate  issued 
another  proclamation,  reiterating  his  warnings, 


154  FIFTY  YEAES  IN  AMOY. 

and  informing  the  people  that  he  had  arrested 
and  examined  a  man,  who  confessed  that  he, 
with  three  others,  had  been  employed  by  for- 
eigners to  engage  in  this  work  of  poisoning  the 
people.  Their  especial  business  was  to  poison 
all  the  wells.  The  Magistrate  cautioned  the 
people  against  using  water  for  a  few  days,  en- 
joining on  them  to  clean  out  and  g^ard  their 
wells.  This  so-called  criminal  was  speedily  ex- 
ecuted. 

^^A  few  days  afterward  a  military  officer  at 
Chiang-chiu  (nearly  of  the  same  rank  with  the 
Ohham-hu  at  Amoy)  also  issued  a  proclamation 
to  warn  the  people  against  poison,  and  giving 
the  confession  of  the  above-mentioned  crimi- 
nal with  great  particularity.  The  criminal  is 
made  to  say  that  a  few  months  ago  he  had  been 
decoyed  and  sold  to  foreigners.  In  company 
with  more  than  fifty  others,  he  was  conveyed 
by  ship  to  Macao.  There  they  were  distrib- 
uted among  the  foreign  hongs,  one  to  each  hong; 
that  afterward  he,  with  three  others,  was  sent 
home,  being  furnished  with  poison  for  distribu- 
tion and  with  special  directions  to  poison  all 
the  wells  in  their  way.  They  w^re  to  refer  all 
those  on  whom  the  poison  took  effect  to  a  cer- 
tain individual  at  Amoy,  who  would  heal  them 
gratuitously,  only  requiring  of  them  their  names. 
This  doubtless  is  an  allusion  to  the  Chinese  Hos- 
pital at  Amoy,  where  the  names  of  the  patients 
are  of  course  recorded,  and  they  receive  medi- 
cine and  medical  attendance  gratuitously. 

"In  this  confession  foreigners  are  designated 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAL  EVENTS.       155 

by  the  opprobious  epithet  of  "Little  (i.  e.,  con- 
temptible,) Demons.''  This,  by  the  way,  is  a 
phrase  never  used  to  designate  foreigners  by 
any  people  in  this  region  except  those  in  the 
Mandarin  offices.  Besides  the  absurdity  of 
charging  foreigners  with  distributing  poison, 
the  whole  confession  bears  the  evidence,  not 
only  of  falsehood,  but,  if  ever  made,  of  having 
been  put  into  the  man's  mouth  by  those  inside 
of  the  Mandarin  office,  and  forced  from  him  by 
torture  for  the  express  purpose  of  exciting  the 
intensest  hatred  of  the  people  against  foreigners. 

"At  the  city  of  Tong-an  (some  twenty  miles 
north  of  Amoy)  the  District  Magistrate  also  is- 
sued a  proclamation  warning  the  people  against 
poison,  and  giving  the  Chham-hu  of  Amoy  the 
autliority  for  the  danger.  The  District  Magis- 
trate in  the  city  of  Chin-chin  (some  fifty  or  sixty 
miles  northeast  of  Amoy)  issued  a  similar  procla- 
mation, giving  for  his  authority  the  Magistrate 
of  Tong-an  and  the  Chham-hu  of  Amoy. 

"In  consequence  of  these  proceedings  of  the 
Magistrate,  the  excitement  and  terror  and 
hatred  to  foreigners,  and  consequently  to  the 
native  Christians,  on  the  part  of  the  i)eople,  be- 
came most  intense,  and  extended  from  the  cities 
far  into  the  country  around.  Wells  were  fenced 
in  and  put  under  lock  and  key.  People  were 
called  together  by  the  beating  of  gongs  to  draw 
water.  The  buckets  were  covered  in  carrying 
water  to  guard  against  the  throwing  in  of  poi- 
son along  the  streets.  At  the  entrance  of  some 
villages  notices  were  posted  warning  strangers 


156  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

not  to  enter  lest  they  be  arrested  as  poisoners^ 
In  various  places  strangers  haA^e  been  arrested 
and  severely  beaten  on  suspicion  merely  be- 
cause they  are  strangers. 

"The  native  Christians  everywhere  were  sub- 
jected to  much  obloquy  and  sometimes  to  immi- 
nent danger,  charged  with  being  under  the  in- 
fluence of  foreigners,  and  employed  by  them 
to  distribute  poison.  From  various  mission 
stations  in  tlie  country  letters  were  written  by 
the  native  Christians  to  the  missionaries  at 
Amoy,  a(hdsing  them,  in  consequence  of  the  in- 
tense excitement  against  foreigners,  not  to  run 
the  risli  of  visiting  them  for  a  season.  Even 
at  the  Amoy  Hospital,  which  has  now  been  in 
existence  for  thirty  years,  tlie  number  of  pa- 
tients apph  ing  for  medical  treatment  greatly 
decreased.    Some  days  there  w^ere  almost  none. 

"Letters  and  placards  were  sent  from  Amoy 
(and  perhajjs  also  from  Canton)  to  Foochow. 
The  excitement  there,  especially  in  some  parts 
of  the  country  around,  became  even  more  in- 
ten^ve  than  at  Amoy.  At  least  two  foreigners, 
one  of  them  an  English  missionary,  and  a  num- 
ber of  native  preachers  were  very  badly  treated 
by  mobs,  and  narrowly  escaped  death.- ' 

Thus,  we  see  that  great  excitement  prevailed 
over  the  Avhole  region,  and  not  only  the  lives  of 
the  native  Christians  w^ere  endangered,  but  the 
lives  of  the  foreigners  as  well.  As  it  was,  some 
of  the  iiative  Christians  had  to  suffer  severely 
from  the  intrigues  of  their  enemies. 

It  is  presumed,  and  on  good  authority,  that 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAX,  EVENTS.       15T 

tiie  whole  moyement  originated  with,  the  Man- 
darins, not  with  the  people.  It  was  a  political 
scheme  of  theirs  whereby  they  hoped  to  banish 
the  ob;noxiou;S  foreignei)  from  their  domain. 
And  the  way  they  were  to  begin  this  "retro- 
grade policy"  was  to  open  the  attack  upon  the 
missionaries.  And  thej^  imagined  this  would 
be  the  easiest  way,  for  they  considered  tliat 
such  a  policy  would  meet  with  "the  least  op- 
position from  all  foreign  nations  except  France.'' 
The  purpose,  then,  was  to  embroil  the  nation 
in  a  war  with  foreigners,  with  the  ultimate 
hope,  in  some  inexplicable  manner,  of  conquer- 
ing and  driving  them  out. 

In  those  days  the  officials  were  ringing  the 
changes  on  foreigners  pretty  much  as  in  these 
days  our  American  officials  are  upon  the  Chi- 
nese. Then  it  was,  "the  foreigners  must  go.'' 
Now  it  is,  "the  Chinese  must  go." 

And  the  method  the  Chinese  were  to  employ 
was  to  first  get  the  missionaries  on  the  run  and 
all  others  would  follow. 

The  great  objection  of  the  ruling  classes  of 
China  to  Christianity  (at  least  Protestant  Chris- 
tianity) is,  that  it  is  a  foreign  religion.  Those 
officials  who  have  residences  near  where  Prot- 
estant missions  have  long  been  established  must 
be  acquainted  with  the  good  character  of  mis- 
sionaries, and  with  the  fact  that  Christianity 
tends  to  make  better  subjects  of  those  who  em- 
brace it.  But  they  regard  missionaries  as  the 
pioneers  of  foreign  civilization.  They  know 
that,  so  far  as  missionaries  are  successful  in 


158  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

their  labors,  they  are  preparing  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  a  better  feeling  toward  foreigners, 
and  thus  preparing  the  way  for  the  extension 
of  foreign  intercourse  and  the  introduction  of 
foreign  improvements.  A  few  years  ago,  on 
the  opening  of  a  Christian  chapel  at  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  Tong-an,  the  literati,  in  order 
to  excite  a  riot,  reviled  Christianity  as  being 
deficient  in  the  matter  of  filiality,  but  they 
stated  as  their  strong  argument  against  the 
chapel  that  if  it  were  allowed  to  remain,  soon 
the  foreign  merchants  would  also  establish 
themselves  there  as  they  had  done  at  Amoy. 

The  ruling  classes  also  know  that,  when  the 
time  comes  ^^at  a  given  moment  to  dispose  of 
the  fate  of  foreigners,"  the  greatest  obstacle 
in  their  way  will  be  the  missionaries  and  the 
native  Christians.  Hence,  when  a  few  years 
ago  an  attempt  was  made  to  get  up  a  riot 
against  the  'missionaries  at  Foochow,  the  pla- 
cards stated  that  the  missionaries  w^ere  the 
"eyes  and  the  ears"  of  the  other  foreigners, 
and  that  if  only  these  could  be  got  rid  of  there 
could  be  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  the  rest. 
No  doubt  the  recent  affairs  have  made  the  rul- 
ing classes  here  dislike  missionaries  more  than 
ever. 

They  know  well  that  the  information,  by 
which  the  foreign  Consuls  were  able  to  check- 
mate them,  must  have  come  from  the  mission- 
aries. In  so  far  as  this  only  was  it  in  any  way 
anti-missionary — its  ulterior  purpose  was  far 
more  reaching. 


TWO   NOTABLE   POLITICAL  EVENTS.       159 

And  how  was  this  movement  suppressed? 
How  was  this  disastrous  war  avoided?  How 
came  it  about  that  the  foreigners  did  not  go? 

In  the  first  place,  the  matter  was  presented 
to  the  attention  of  the  different  Consuls  of  for- 
eign nations,  and  they  in  turn  placed  the  state 
of  affairs  before  the  Chinese  authorities.  All 
disastrous  results  were  avoided  on  account  of 
the  lirni  stand  the  foreign  Consuls  took  for  ttie 
observance  o^  treaty  rights.  They  demanded 
that  they  should  be  and  must  be  observed. 

And  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  those  heathea 
officials,  those  demands  were  respected. 

Jn  view  of  such  facts,  what  a  spectacle  this 
Aniei'ican  Christian  nation  must  present  when 
this  Chinese  people  come  in  turn  to  us  and  ask 
us  to  respect  the  treaties  we  have  made  with 
them,  and  we  in  turn  face  about  and  break 
the  sacred  obligations  without  the  least  com- 
punction ! 

Supposing  the  Chinese  officials  had  not  lis- 
tened to  the  demands  of  the  foreign  Consuls^ 
what  would  have  been  the  result?  Simply  this, 
that  the  foreign  l*owers  would,  altogethe<r, 
likely,  have  swept  the  whole  Chinese  Empire 
with  shot  and  shell,  if  necessary,  until  their 
demands  were  granted. 

It  might  be  a  grand,  good  lesson,  and  it 
might  have  a  purifying  effect  upon  some  of 
our  thoroughly  diseased  body  politics,  if  a  dose 
of  shot  and  shell  were  administered  unto  them. 

But  the  Chinese  are  more  patient  than  we 
are,  and  whether  they  know  it  or  not,  it  is  not 


160  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

shot  and  shell  that  makes  right,  nor  will  such 
forces  in  the  end  prevail,  nor  any  nation  built 
on  such  combustible  materials,  but  only  truth 
and  righteousness  will  endure  to  the  end,  and 
the  nation  whose  foundation  are  these. 


CHAPTER   XIV 


MEDICAL  WOEK. 

Medical  work  in  China  has  long  been  proved 
to  be  indispensable  in  carrying  on  a  mission- 
ary enterprise  successfully.  In  many  instances 
it  has  been  the  tliinnest  edge  of  the  wedge  that 
has  finally  cleft  the  hard  and  conservative 
hearts  of  these  China's  millions.  It  has  "  gaine<l 
privileges''  that  no  other  agency  has  been  able 
to  as  yet,  and  has  risen  rapidly  in  esteem  and 
estimation  of  the  natives.  The  hope  of  obtain- 
ing bodily  relief  for  all  their  sufferings  has 
been  and  is  inducement  sufficient  for  them  to 
lay  aside  all  their  prejudices  that  they  may 
entertain  in  regard  to  the  foreigner  and  his  re- 
ligion and  come  to  the  hospital  for  treatment. 
But  by  thus  coming  they  are  brought  in  con- 
tact with  the  Gospel  and  led  to  know  of  a 
deeper  malady,  and  of  Him  who  is  the  Great 
Physician. 

This  has  ever  been  the  purpose  of  this  agency, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  this  way 
souls  have  been  won  for  Christ  whose  salva- 
tion we  could  never  have  looked  for  without 
this  open  door,  through  which  they  have  walked 
into  the  Kingdom. 

Of  course,  this  is  human  language,  and  you 


162  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

will  understand  the  meaning  it  is  intended  to 
C0B\ey. 

Medical  work  at  Amoy  began  June  Ttli,  1842^ 
when  Dr.  Cummings,  a  seli'-supporting  mission- 
ary, under  the  patronage  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.^ 
opened  a  dispensary  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  Dr. 
Abeel's  house,  on  Kolongsu. 

In  January,  1844,  Dr.  Cummings  moved  his 
dispensary  over  to  Amoy,  into  one  of  the  twa 
rooms  that  the  Mission  (Reformed)  had  rented 
for  Gospel  services. 

Daily  he  ministered  unto  the  sick  as  they  came- 
to  him  "for  medicine  and  medical  advice,"  both 
as  regards  spiritual  and  bodily  diseases.  Dr» 
Cummings  was  obliged  to  leave  Amoy  on  ac- 
count of  ill-health  in  1847. 

Dr.  J.  C.  Hepburn,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  American  Presbyterian  Church,  w^as  en- 
gaged in  medical  work  at  Amoy  from  Novem- 
ber 25th,  1843,  to  1845.  He  w  as  a  co-laborer  of 
Dr.  Cummings. 

In  July,  1850,  Dr.  James  Young,  of  the  Eng- 
lish Presbyterian  Church,  arrived  and  con- 
ducted the  medical  work  until  1854,  when  ill- 
health  banished  him  also  from  the  field.  From 
that  time  until  about  18G2  medical  Avork  was 
carried  on  under  the  co-operation  of  the  three 
societies  represented  at  Amoy. 

At  this  time  the  foreign  merchants  offered  to 
relieve  the  missionary  bodies  of  all  pecuniary 
support  and  to  carry  on  the  hospital  work  at 
Amoy  on  the  old  religious  basis.  Still,  the  mis- 
sionaries maintained  their  interest  in  the  work^ 


MEDICAL    WORK.  163 

both  by  financial  snpport  and  by  individnal  ser- 
vice in  ministering  the  Word  to  the  patients  in 
the  wards. 

A  Community  Doctor  was  put  in  charge.  In 
1877  or  '78  they  began  to  secularize  the  work, 
until  1879  it  was  decided  by  the  foreign  mer- 
chants (the  principal  supporters)  to  withdraw 
or  dispose  of  any  religious  character  that  might 
have  been  attached  to  the  institution  and  make 
it  an  entirely  secular  institution. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  missionaries 
felt  obliged  to  suspend  their  Interest. 

However,  medical  work  w^as  not  abandoned. 
Four  years  later  the  English  Presbyterians  built 
a  hospital  of  their  own  in  another  part  of  the 
city,  which  was  opened  for  the  reception  of 
patients  in  1883,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  A.  L. 
Macleish.  In  this  institution  our  Mission  felt 
that  it  lield  almost  an  equal  interest.  The  hos- 
pital was  built  on  some  land  o^^Tied  by  our 
Mission  in  close  proximity  to  our  Tek  Chhiu 
Kfia  Church  (Second  Church  of  Amoy).  More- 
over, we  contributed  largely  (until  we  began 
work  at  Sio-Ivhe)  toward  its  financial  support. 
We  also  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  institution,  as  both  the  female 
antl  male  members  of  the  Mission  visited  the 
hospital  frequently  to  talk  with  the  patients 
upon  their  spiritual  condition,  as  well  as  taking 
a  share  in  the  other  regular  religious  services 
of  the  hospital. 

In  October,  1887,  the  Woman's  Board  of  the 
Reformed   (Dutch)    Church   commissioned   and 


164  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

sent  out  Dr.  Y.  M.  King,  a  Chinese  lady,  who 
had  been  adopted  in  childhood  by  Dr.  Mac- 
Cartee,  to  begin  medical  work  among  the  women 
of  Amoy,  China. 

She  seemed  well  fitted  for  the  work,  and  we 
considered  that  it  was  a  long-felt  need  supplied 
when  she  began  such  a  work.  She  had  already 
entered  upon  what  promised  to  be  a  most  use- 
ful and  successful  Avork,  when,  for  reasons  v^e 
need  not  mention  here,  she  transferred  her  ef- 
forts to  Kobe,  Japan  (Autumn,  1888). 

Thus  our  hopes,  which  we  had  every  reason 
to  suppose  were  to  be  realized,  were  su<ldenly 
dashed  to  pieces. 

Only  one  who  resides  in  China,  and  is  ac- 
quainted with  the  seclusion  of  the  Chinese 
women,  can  ever  fully  know  what  grand  work  a 
Chinese  woman's  hospital  can  accomplish  in 
Amoy.  May  the  day  not  be  far  distant  when 
the  Board  may  be  able  to  send  out  a  consecrated 
woman  to  take  up  this  important  work  at  Amoy 
and  make  a  success  of  it. 

In  1889  what  we  may  call  our  independent 
medical  work  was  begun  at  Sio-Khe,  sixty  miles 
inland  from  Amoy.  In  the  fall  of  1887  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  commissioned  and 
sent  out  Dr.  J.  A.  Otte,  who  arrived  in  Amoy 
January  1 3th,  1888,  to  take  charge  of  that  work. 

After  much  bickering  and  fussing  with  the 
natives  of  Sio-Khe,  who  did  not  like  our  com- 
pany very  much  (they  have  learned  to  think 
more  of  us),  a  site  was  secured,  the  Neerbosch 
Hospital  erected,  and  opened  for  the  treatment 


MEDICAL    WOEK.  165 

of  patients  in  1880.  The  next  year  enlarge- 
ments and  improvements  were  necessary,  and 
the  present  dimensions  of  the  hospital  are 
about  05x30  and  two  stories  high. 

On  the  lower  floor  are  the  chapel,  dispensary, 
consultation  room,  woman's  ward,  store-room 
and  kitchen. 

On  the  upper  floor  are  the  general  ward, 
eye  ward,  ulcer  ward,  opium  ward,  and  two 
students'  rooms. 

The  wards  can  accommodate  46  single  beds 
and  nearly  all  have  been  supported  by  friends 
in  America  at  |35  each.  Outside  the  hospital 
are  two  large  open  courts,  the  one  for  men  and 
the  other  for  women.  The  upper  story  has  a 
nice  wide  veranda. 

Natives  as  well  as  foreigners  have  joineil  in 
making  the  work  a  success.    Both  the  civil  and 
military  Mandarins  of  Sio-Khe  and  vicinity  are 
good  friends  of  the  institution,  and  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  work  by  contributing  liberally 
to  its  support  and  by  frequent  visits.      And, 
moreover,  the  work  has  lately  won  the  favor  of 
the  District  Magistrate.    Better  still,  a  Military 
Mandarin  was  won  for  Christ.     Only  a  few  year^ 
ago  some  of  these  same  officials  were  bitter 
enemies  of  Christianity  m  general,  and  the  hos- 
pital in  particular.    It  is  none  too  high  praise 
to  say  that  such  happy  and  blessed  results  are 
due  in  a  large  measure  to  the  skill  and  Chris- 
tian courtesy  of  Dr.  Otte. 

In  1891  the  Chinese  alone  contributed  |200 
to  the  hospital.    Besides  this,  native  Christians 


166  FIFTY  YEARS  IN   AMOY. 

and  foreigners   contributed   in  the   same  year 
$378.10  for  bui'dln.o-  the  opium  refuge. 


THE  IMEDICAL  STAFF. 

John  A.  Otte,  M.  D.,  Physician  in  Charge; 
lap  Chi-seng,  Dispenser;  Ng  Madiui,  Evan- 
gelist. 


MEDICAL    STUDENTS. 

Ng   lan-gi,    Tan    Thian-un,    lap    Su-^.n,    Tan 
Khe-ju,  Lim  lau-pang. 


The  design  of  the  institution  is  medical,  evan- 
gelistic and  educational. 

1.  According  to  the  xVnnual  Eeport  of  the  Hos- 
pital for  1891-'92,  1,774  new  names  (male)  were 
enrolled  on  the  register,  283  female;  total,  2,057; 
533  patients  were  admitted  for  treatment,  2,7-^5 
new  cases  were  treated,  197  old  cases  continued, 
6,892  return  visits  Avere  made  by  pa.t'ents;  total 
9,844;  !225  patients  were  visited  in  their  homes, 
iOl  patients  underwent  surgical  operations. 

2.  Thus  we  see  that  several  thousand  souls 
were  brought  in  touch  with  the  Gospel  message 
not  once  but  many  times.  The  students,  as  w^ell 
as  the  evangelist,  have  been  most  devoted,  not 
only  in  dispensing  medicine,  but  in  their  spir- 
itual ministrations  as  ^Aell.  They  have  mani- 
fested the  true  missionary  spirit,  n-.t  '.nly  in 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  their  c:>untrymen  lying 
in  wards  in  the  hosp'tal,  bat  by  going  out  one 
evening  of  each  week  into  the  neighbarin;'-  towns 
and  villages  to  tell  the  story  of  releeming  love. 


MEDICAL    WORK.  1G7 

Such  work  cannot  fail  of  blessed  results,  and 
there  are  signs  of  abundant  "showers  of  bless- 
ings"; the  first  droppings  are  already  falling. 

In  1891  four  of  the  former  patients  were  ad- 
mitted in  the  full  communion  of  the  Sio-Khe 
Church.  Among  the  four  was  "the  Yery  fiviit 
patient  who  received  treatment  in  the  hospital.^' 
And  tidings  come  of  those  who,  having  returned 
to  their  homes,  have  not  only  made  an  open  pro- 
fession of  their  faith  in  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  but  are  telling  others  the  story. 

3.  Anothej'  object  of  the  institution  is  to  train 
up  native  Christian  physicians,  who,  wo  trust, 
will  manifest  the  character  of  that  Apostle  who 
was  both  an  evangelist,  apostle  and  "good 
physician."  Five,  as  mentioned  above,  are  under 
course  of  traininjr. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK 

This  is  another  important  agency  in  onr  mis- 
sionary enterprise.  It  is  another  line  of  attack 
in  the  enemy's  country,  another  way  of  train- 
ing our  guns  toward  the  foe.  It  has  a  double 
purpose,  as  it  is  instructive  and  constructive. 

It  is  instructive,  as  it  aims  to  reach  the  youth, 
the  "literati,"  and  the  ignorant  of  China,  and 
constructive,  as  it  seeks  to  furnish  the  Amoy 
District  with  a  native  educated  ministry. 

I.  Instructive. — (a)  We  listen  and  catch 
the  sound  of  the  tramp  of  coming  genera;tions, 
Tvho,  before  we  can  count  the  time,  will  take 
the  places  of  the  present.  Boys  and  girls  they 
are  now,  but  faster  than  the  shadow^s  climb  the 
mountains  they  are  becoming  men  and  women. 
What  kind  of  men  and  women?  Young,  mis- 
guided, if  guided  at  all,  wasting  precious  mo- 
ments, they  are  following  hard  and  fast  in  the 
footsteps  of  their  fathers  and  mothers,  in  hot 
pursuit  of  iniquity,  superstition  and  idolatry. 
NoAv  is  the  time  to  seek  them;  now  is  the  best 
time  and  the  easiest  time  to  teach  them  better 
things  and  lead  them  in  better  ways. 

This  is  solid  missionary  work;  and  do  we  mag- 
nify the  office  too  much  when  w^e  say  there  is 
no  more  powerful  advocate  or  counsellor  before 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  1G9 

the  bar  of  this  people's  conscience  than  Chris- 
tian education?  It  strikes  at  the  fountain  and 
root  of  this  Empire  in  its  endeavor  to  lead  the 
youth  "in  the  right  way" — ^the  way  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  Are  we  going  to  provide  for 
eveiything  else  and  make  no  provision  for  the 
youth? 

We  w^ould  not,  and  do  not,  maintain  that  this 
agency  is  the  only  agency,  much  less  the  best 
or  foremost  or  most  important,  nor  the  one  to 
be  pushe.l  vigorously  above  all  others;  but  we 
do  insist  that  it  is  as  important  as  the  next. 

The  Rev.  W.  T.  A.  Barber  relates  how  he  once 
was  approached  by  ''a  dear  and  respected  sis- 
ter," who  said:  "It  surely  must  be  very  refresh- 
ing to  you  when  you  can  get  away  from  your 
school  and  preach  the  Gospel."  "Preach  the 
Gospel!"  he  replied.  "I  am  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel ever  day.  I  am  not  a  Christian  first  and  a 
schoolmaster  afterward.  I  am  not  a  school- 
master first  and  Christian  afterward.  I  am  a 
Christian  schoolmaster  in  and  through  all,  try- 
ing to  bring  home  to  my  pupils  the  fact  that 
the  faith  that  makes  their  teacher  patient,  that 
makes  him  thorough,  that  makes  him  true,  is 
founded  on  Christ,  the  incarnate  Son  of  God." 
And  here,  as  Christian  schoolmaster,  we  add, 
are  afforded  the  grandest  opportunities,  most 
inspiring  of  congregations  for  preaching  Christ 
as  you  preach  Him  elsewhere:  the  Saviour  of 
their  lost  and  guilty  race;  blessed  occasions  for 
instilling  into  their  dull,  ignorant,  heavily-laden 
hearts  the  first  notes  of  that  angel  song  and 


170  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  MIOY. 

story:  "Behold!  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of 
great  joy,  .  .  ,  for  there  is  born  to  you  ...  a  Sav- 
iour, which  is  Christ  the  Lor<i."  Can  we  begin 
too  soon  to  knock  at  such  hearts,  ground  and 
crushed  by  three  or  four  thousand  years  of  su- 
perstition, ignorance  and  idolatry,  till  death- 
like stniiefaction  possesses  every  chamber  of 
heart,  mind,  will  and  conscience?  O!  we  must 
strike  deep  at  the  foundation,  the  very  roots  of 
this  nation,  if  we  ever  hope,  by  the  grace  (xod 
vouchsafes  us,  to  see  China  amongst  the  re- 
deemed. 

(b)  Moreover,  is  not  education  the  very  door 
to  the  hearts  of  the  upper  classes?  We  have 
touched  but  the  fringes  of  this  gTeat  garment 
as  yet;  Ave  have  succeeded  in  planting  our  guns 
in  a  few  places  ou  the  outer  boundaries  of  this 
vast  domain,  but  the  chief  cities  and  the  capi- 
tal still  remain  barricaded  fortresses.  As  we 
look  up  toward  those  heights,  higher  than  the 
watch  towers  on  the  mountain  fortress  city  of 
Jebus  they  seem  to  us,  and  as  insurmountable. 
The  besieged — for  besieged  they  are — are  "in- 
finitely self-satisfied  with  the  accumulated,  in- 
tellectual pride  of  centuries,  infinitely  scornful 
of  all  that  bears  not  the  stamp  of  Confucian 
lore,"  and  infinitely  unconcerned  about  their 
ultimate  overthrow  and  eternal  doom.  The  de- 
mands that  come  from  the  hosts  of  Jehovah  for 
an  absolute,  unconditional  surrender  are  hurled 
back  with  persistent  defiance,  and  even  the  ap- 
peals to  escape  from  their  imminent  peril  and 
seek  safety  in  salvation  provided  by  God,  in- 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  171 

carnated  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  seems 
not  yet,  at  least,  to  have  touchel  the  outermost 
pickets  of  their  hearts. 

There  is  a  certain  literary  class  in  China 
which  we  can  no  more  hope  will  be  touched  by 
the  churches  than  we  can  hope  that  that  other 
class  of  sick  and  infirm  can  (humanly  speaking). 
The  sick  must  first  feel  the  physician's  touch; 
so  must  these  ignorant  ones  feel  the  educator's 
touch  before  we  can  hope  to  see  tliem  forsake 
their  ancient  fortresses,  before  we  can  hope  that 
that  innate  conceit  will  be  broken.  And  until 
we  have  brought  all  our  instruments  of  warfare 
up  to  the  breach  already  opened  can  we  hope 
to  take  the  city? 

This  upper  class,  known  as  the  "literati," 
profess  to  be  soaked  with  knowledge.  The 
Church  does  not  reach  them,  the  hospital  can- 
not, the  school  will.  The  schools  will,  because 
the  Chinese  respect  knowledge,  and  through 
this  door,  over  which  we  will  inscribe  ""True 
Knowledge,"  iimst  these  pass  to  enter  the  King- 
dom of  God. 

Is  this  limiting  the  power  of  the  Gospel  or 
of  the  Church?  Is  this  magnifying  the  office? 
Kot  at  all.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  attach  any 
such  limitations,  'or  make  au}^  such  foolish, 
intimations.  But  God  helps  them  who  help 
themselves.  He  has  left  us  to  employ  human 
means  in  this  great  Avork,  and  here  is  one  that 
will  bring  the  Gospel  in  contact  Avith  a  certain 
class  that  no  other  agency  has  reached  as  yet. 
We  claim  nothing  more  of  it.  May  God  make  us 


172  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

wise  to  use  all  things  wisely  and  every  means 
possible  to  lead  this  people  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  Truth. 

(c)  There  is  still  another  class  to  whom  edu- 
cation has  ever  been  a  boon  and  a  blessing, 
viz.:  the  females  of  China. 

When  we  consider  the  possibilities  of  this 
department  amongst  th^  girls  and  the  women 
of  China,  and  what  it  ha^f  already  accomplished, 
it  is  something  wondrously  gTand,  and  perhaps 
beyond  our  conception. 

Of  the  two  sexes,  woman's  mind  is  the  most 
benighted,  as  they  have  no  opportunity  to  learn. 
Men  may  learn,  women  not.  Whilst  the  Chi- 
nese boast  of  a  civilization,  yet  the  treatment 
of  their  women  has  been  little  better  than  bar- 
barian. Depriving  them  of  souls,  they  have 
deprived  them  of  an  education.  The  Chinese 
woman  has  no  business  to  know  anything,  and 
few  do.  She  is  little  more  than  a  slave  of  her 
husband  and  her  mother-in-law.  However 
much  mothers-in-laws  may  be  abused  in  our  own 
land,  it  is  a  painful  truth  that  in  China  they 
are  perfect  terrors. 

Under  her  dominion  the  young  wife's  epito- 
mized historj^  is  recorded  in  these  few  words: 
^'Rise,  run,  work;  eat  little,  spend  little,  be  si- 
lent, obey,  bear."  Kather  bleed,  starve,  die, 
than  dare  complain. 

The  ignorance  of  these  women  is  something 
frightful.  And  what  else  could  be  expected? 
That  it  is  a  great  obstacle  in  the  advancement 
of  our  churches  and  all  that  is  good,  is  apparent. 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  173 

Imagine  a  woman  tlius  deprived  of  all  advan- 
tages of  an  education  being  brought  in  contact 
with  the  Gospel.  Nay,  more.  Imagine  a  con- 
gregation of  women,  who  cannot  read  one  sylla- 
ble of  their  own  language,  much  less  think  one 
intelligent  thought,  sitting  under  your  min- 
istrations Sabbath  after  Sabbath.  What  kind 
of  impressions  could  you  make  upon  such 
minds?  What  kind  of  improvement  could  you 
hope  for  in  their  spiritual  and  intellectual  lives? 
What  of  expansion  and  widening  of  vision  could 
one  expect  under  such  circumstances?* 

So  the  story  comes  freighted  with  everlasting 
love  and  compassion,  and  full  of  food  for 
thought.  But  how  much  can  sucli  minds  drink 
in?  How  can  such  minds  think  that  have  never 
ibeen  taught  to  think?  Why,  their  husbands 
(or  their  mothers-in-law)  do  all  their  thinking, 
if  you  please. 

Here  are  some  samples  of  the  way  they  com- 
prehend the  Gospel  messages.  You  repeat  the 
story  over  and  over  again,  until  you  imagine 
they  have  it  at  last.  And  they  Avill  make  you 
feel  encouraged  by  insisting  that  they  really  do 
understand.  ''Oh,  yes,"  they  assure  you;  "we 
understand  it  all."  Pleased  and  satisfied,  you 
:go  your  way  rejoicing,  until  you  are  brought 
face  to  face  with  some  such  facts  as  these: 

A  woman  was  asked  if  she  could  tell  who  com- 
posed the  Trinity?  "Oh,  yes,"  she  could  tell. 
'"  Well,  who  ?"  She  replied :  "  Mary,  Martha  and 
Lazarus." 

Another  was  asked  if  she  could  give  the  order 


174  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AIVIOY. 

of  creation.  With  the  same  conhdence  and  in- 
trepi<iity,  she  assured  them  that  she  coiihl.  This> 
is  the  wa}^  she  did  it.  First  day:  Thou  shalt 
have  no  other  Gods  before  Me;  and  so  on  to  the 
end  of  tlie  Ten  Commandments.  But  thera 
were  ten  days  in  the  order  of  her  creation  in- 
stead of  six. 

A  woman  was  once  asked  to  tell  the  story  of 
Nebuchadnezzar.  She  started  in  and  got  on 
finely  until  she  came  to  the  persons  walking  in 
the  furnace  that  the  king  had  prepared.  These 
persons  she  designated  as  God,  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  third  she  had  forgotten,  but  she  guessed 
it  must  be  Jehovah. 

Do  you  say  these  are  extreme  cases?  Surely 
these  are,  but  the  sorry  fact  is  that  there  are 
multitudes  of  these  extreme  cases.  As  Dr.  Tal- 
mage  once  wrote,  we  rewrite:  "After  our  Chris- 
tian friends  at  home  have  done  their  utmost  to- 
picture  to  themselves  the  mental  darkness  of 
such  extreme  cases,  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
picture  they  form  in  their  minds  is  more  than 
adequate  to  represent  the  mental  darkness  of 
the  large  majority  of  the  women  in  our  own 
country  churches  when  they  first  come  under 
the  power  of  the  Gosijel.'^ 

Besides  all  this,  think  of  such  mothers.  What 
of  the  children  trained  by  such  mothers?  If 
the  destiny  of  a  nation  lay  in  the  bosom  of  a 
mother,  what  destiny  are  we  compelled  to  have 
in  mind  if  these  mothers  are  to  be  kept  in  ig- 
noi'ance? 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  175 

Such  questions  need  no  answer;  that  answer 
is  apjjarent  to  every  thinking  mind. 

It  has  been  the  blessed  work  of  Christian 
•edncation,  in  these  early  years  of  its  work,  to 
change  the  condition  of  some  of  the  women  in 
China.  It  has  raised  them  from  these  low 
depths  to  which  they  have  been  plunged,  and 
crowned  them  with  true  womanhood,  and  place<i 
them  in  that  position  where  God  intended  them 
to  stand.  It  has  made  them  useful— useful  in 
the  whole  home,  in  the  whole  community,  and 
the  whole  Church. 

The  use  of  the  word  Christian  in  connection 
with  education  will  disabuse  any  mind  in  re- 
gard  to  our  view  of  education.  Anything  less 
than  a  Christian  education  is  folly.  Mere  secu- 
lar knowledge,  mere  knowledge,  is  vain  and  use- 
less here.  But  what  is  brought  to  these  be- 
nighted minds  along  the  channels  of  knowlerlge, 
m',  in  other  words,  what  true  knowledge  brings! 
is  the  boon  and  the  blessing  of  education  to  this 
people. 

II.  Constructive.— The  educational  work  has 
another  purpose  and  important  end  in  view. 
It  looks  to  the  construction  of  a  native  educated 
ministry.  It  goes  without  saying  that  a  native 
ministry  is  absolutely  essential  to  carry  the  Gos- 
pel everywhere,  and  to  establish  churches  in 
every  town,  city  and  village  of  the  Amoy  Dis- 
trict. But,  above  all  things,  an  educated  min- 
istry  is  essential.  How  do  we  ever  hope,  then, 
to  construct  such    a    ministry    wdthout    well- 


17G  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

equipped  and  well-furnished  educational  insti- 
tutions ? 

Blind  leaders  of  the  blind  would  conduct  them 
all  into  the  ditch. 

China,  boasting  over  her  literary  productions 
and  Confucian  lore,  is  no  place  for  an  unedu- 
cated ministry.  Whatever  the  Chinaman  may 
be,  he  has  no  respect  for  ignorance,  but  a  most 
profound  regard  for  intelligence. 

Now,  the  sooner  this  educated  ministry  is 
provided,  so  much  the  sooner  aviII  our  forces 
and  our  efforts  in  China  be  unnecessary. 

These  are  the  aims  and  purposes  of  our  edu- 
cational institutions  at  Amoy.  And  having 
made  these  observations,  we  wall  be  able  to 
tnore  intelligently  review  these  institutions, 
and  Avhat  has  been  done  during  these  fifty  years 
in  this  department. 


THE   UNION    THEOIjOGICAIi    SEMINARY. 

The  training  of  young  men  for  the  ministry^ 
was  considereil  from  the  beginning  of  the  Mis- 
sion to  be  of  the  utmost  importance.  And  just 
so  soon  as  possible  a  class  of  five  or  six  young: 
men  was  formed  and  instruction  in  the  Bible 
begun.  Rooms  were  provided  at  first  in  th^ 
Mission  House,  in  Amoy. 

In  1866  the  young  institution  moved  over  to 
the  island  of  Kolongsu,  where  the  missionaries 
had  gone.  In  1867  a})plication  was  made  to 
the  Board  for  the  sum  of  |300  to  build  a  theo- 
logical seminary  on  Kolongsu.  In  response,- 
the  sum  of  money  was  furnished,  and  (1869-'70). 


Thomas  De  Witt,  Theological  Hall. 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  J  77 

the  first  theological  seminary  of  the  Amoj  Mis- 
Bion  was  completed  and  named  "The  Thomas 
DeWitt  Theological  Hall."  The  hall  Avas  built 
of  brick,  two  stories,  and  about  30x40.  It  con- 
tained one  lecture  room,  which  was  also  used  as 
a  dining-room,  eleven  bedrooms  an<l  a  kitchen. 
Besides  the  missionaries,  Ng  Chek-teng  was  em- 
ployed as  an  instructor. 

In  1885  the  two  missions,  viz.:  the  English 
Presbyterian  and  the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Churches,  united  the  theological  departments 
of  their  educational  work.  Previous  to  this  each 
mission  had  its  own  theological  seminary.  Under 
the  new  arrangement,  the  English  Presbyterian 
Mission  was  to  provide  a  theological  seminary 
building  and  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Cliurch  Mis- 
sion to  provide  the  academy.    This  was  done. 

Until  1892  the  theological  seminary  building 
consisted  of  a  purely  Oriental  Chinese  house, 
slightly  changed  and  adapted  for  such  a  pur- 
pose. But  in  this  year  a  new  and  commo<lious 
building  has  been  erected  by  the  English  Pres- 
byterian M,ission.  It  is  built  of  brick  and  stuc- 
coed cream  color,  with  trimmings  to  match^ 
having  two  recitation  rooms  and  thirty  or  thirty- 
five  single  rooms  for  the  students. 

From  this  school  of  the  prophets  our  present 
ministry  has  gone  forth.  Besides  these,  many 
of  the  native  helpers  and  unordained  evangelists 
have  spent  one  or  two  years  under  a  special 
course  of  training  in  the  institution. 

Each  Mission  has,  in  recent  years  at  least, 
appointed  one  from  its  respective  body  to  the 


178  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

special  work  of  giving  instruction  to  the  stu- 
dents of  the  seminary.  At  present  Rev.  Wm. 
McGregor,  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Mission, 
and  Rev.  J.  G.  Fagg,  of  the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church  Mission,  hold  these  appointments. 

Mr.  Un  Sain-goan,  a  promising  young  native 
Christian,  also  assists  in  the  instruction.  Others 
have  shared  in  this  important  work.  Here  Dr. 
Talmage  taught,  and  left  such  an  impression 
upon  the  hearts  of  those  who  sat  under  his 
instruction  as  time  will  never  wear  away.  Here 
he  labored  in  all  his  aroused  enthusiasm  as  he 
sought  to  fit  the  young  men  for  the  responsi- 
ble and  sacred  office  of  the  ministry — jesi,  and 
to  send  them  forth  imbued  with  some  of  his 
xeal  and  spirit  to  herald  the  messages  of  the 
cross  to  their  perishing  brethren.  One  could 
not  sit  long  under  his  teaching  without  dis- 
covering how  his  heart  and  soul  were  all  aglow 
with  zeal  and  love  for  the  messages  of  Divine 
Truth  he  sought  to  impart — nor  long  before  that 
flame  was  kindling  some  responsive  zeal  or  love 
for  the  same  Truth  in  his  own  heart.  Such  is 
but  a  glimpse  of  the  character  of  the  teaching  of 
Dr.  Talmage,  and  such  teaching  must  leave  an 
imperishable  impression. 

Rev.  Henry  Thompson,  Rev.  John  Watson 
<E.  P.),  Rev.  Daniel  Rapalje  and  Rev.  L.  W. 
Kip,  D.  D.  (R.  C),  have  also  devoted  not  a 
little  of  their  time  to  instruction  in  this  semi- 
nary, and  been  no  less  zealous  in  this  good 
work  of  filling  the  ranks  of  the  ministry  in  the 
Amoy  District. 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  171> 

It  is  the  purpose  of  those  in  charge  to  have 
all  the  young  men  remain  three  years,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  to  pursue  a  thorough,  unbroken 
course  in  theological  studies. 

On  account  of  the  great  lack  of  helpers  in  the 
fields,  whitening  unto  the  harvest,  such  a  course 
up  to  the  present  has  been  impossible.  After 
a  young  man  has  been  in  the  institution  a  year 
an  earnest  appeal  comes  from  some  unoccu- 
pied quarter  for  some  young  man  to  come  and 
"hold  the  fort,"  for  a  time,  at  least.  In  re- 
sponse, the  young  man  has  to  reluctantly  break 
out  from  his  studies  and  go  in  answer  to  the 
call.  But  he  goes  with  the  promise  that  as  soon 
as  possible  he  will  be  allowed  to  come  back  and 
finish  his  course.  That  is  the  way  the  young 
men  have  to  get  their  theological  training  in 
Amoy.  It  is  the  aim  of  this  institution  to  pro- 
vide that  educated  native  ministry  mentioned 
above.  And  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that, 
having  two  sucli  men  as  Rev.  William  Mc- 
Gregor and  Rev.  J.  G.  Fagg  in  charge,  just 
such  work  and  just  such  results  will  be  accom^ 
plished. 

The  course  at  present  embraces  the  follow- 
ing subjects:  Old  and  New  Testament  Exegesis, 
Churcli  History,  Systematic  Theology,  Genu- 
ineness  and  Authenticity  of  the  Scriptures  and 
Homiletics.  Besides  these  studies,  two  Chinese 
tutors  are  engaged  to  give  instruction  in  Chinese 
classics,  ^'the  art  of  polite  address  and  composi- 
tion according  to  Chinese  standards."  A 
preaching  hall,  opened  on  the  island  of  Ko- 


ISO  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

longsii  in  1892,  affords  the  students  a  splendid 
opportunity  of  gaining  and  developing  facility 
in  addressing  tlieir  heathen  brethren. 

During  the  history  of  this  institution  upward 
of  100  young  men  have  been  under 'instruction. 
Upward  of  70  have  graduated,  the  majority  of 
whom  have  become  evangelists.  One-third  or 
more  have  become  ordained  pastors,  and  17  still 
occupy  the  sacred  office  to-day.  To  these  and 
those  who  follow  in  the  main  must  be  committed 
the  sacred  trust  of  gathering  in  the  heathen, 
the  organization  and  development  of  the  native 
churches  of  Amoy.  May  your  prayers  ever  go 
up  in  their  behalf. 


THE  BOYS'  ACADEMT. 

The  Theological  Seminary,  having  vacated 
the  Thomas  DeWitt  Theological  Hall,  an  addi- 
tion of  another  two-story  buihiing,  quite  as  large 
as  the  original  building,  was  made  (1885),  and  it 
became  the  home  of  the  Middle  School  or  Acad- 
emy of  the  two  Missions,  when  for  two  years 
or  more  it  was  un<ler  the  care  of  Eev.  A.  S. 
Van  Dyck.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  Sio- 
Khe  District,  when  the  school  came  under  its 
present  regime.  It  was  called  the  Middle  School 
because  it  was  the  school  between  the  paro- 
chial schools  and  the  Theological  Seminary. 

There  is  still  another  name  in  Chinese  at- 
tached to  it.  The  building  at  the  time  of  its 
erection  was  given  the  name  of  Sim-goan-tsai, 
the  meaning  of  which  is:  "Seeking  the  origin 
of  truth."    This  name  still  clings  to  it,  and  the 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  181 

natives  know  it  and  speak  of  it  as  the  Sim-goan- 
tsai. 

The  superintendence  of  this  work  has  been 
largely  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Re- 
formed (Dutch)  Church  Mission.  Hence,  in  the 
year  1885  Rev.  A.  S.  Van  Dyck  was  appointed 
by  his  mission  to  take  special  oversight  of  the 
duties  connected  with  the  school.  His  super- 
intendence continued  until  he  voluntarily  of- 
fered to  transfer  his  residence  from  Amoy  to  the 
inland  station  of  Sio-Khe,  in  order  to  take 
charge  of  the  work  akeady  grown  to  great  im- 
portance there. 

In  1887  Rev.  P.  W.  Pitcher  was  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  the  academy.  Mr.  Aug  Khelv- 
Chhiong,  appointed  to  be  the  native  assistant 
in  the  academy,  has  proved  an  invaluable  co- 
laborer.  Being  chosen  instructor  of  the  Chi- 
nese classics  in  1885,  lie  has  become  closely 
identified  with  tlie  prosperity  of  the  school. 
Faithfulness,  devotion  and  efficiency  have  char- 
acterized his  labor.  His  high  Christian  char- 
acter has  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  both 
of  missionaries  and  pupils  alike. 

Rev.  Wm.  McGregor  and  Rev.  Henry  Thomp- 
son (E.  P.)  and  Rev.  J.  (>.  Fagg  (R.  C.)  have 
also  given  their  assistance  in  the  special 
branches  of  mathematics  imd  history.  In  this 
connection  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  the  school 
at  present  needs  a  well-trained  teacher,  who  can 
devote  his  time  to  the  higher  branches  of  edu- 
cation.   Under  the  present  regime  only  the  com- 


182  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

Imon  high  school  branches  can  be  handled.     Pro- 
Tision  should  be  made  for  both. 

Unlike  the  theological  department,  this  branch 
of  the  educational  work  of  the  two  missions  has 
alvvajs  been  united,  and  the  school  was  first 
quartered  in  a  native  house  on  the  other  side 
of  the  island.  That  building  was  forthwith  va- 
cated, and  the  institution  began  a  new  period 
of  its  existence  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances in  its  new  quarters  in  1885. 

This  building  was  occupied  by  the  academy 
imtil  1892,  when,  funds  having  been  secured 
from  friends  in  America,  principally  through  the 
appeals  of  tlie  missionary  in  charge,  who  was 
providentially  in  America  in  1891,  a  new  prop- 
erty was  secured,  and  again  the  academy  began 
a  new  period  in  its  history  under  still  more  favor- 
able circumstances  in  its  new  quarters. 

Of  this  property  only  a  passing  notice  can  be 
given.  We  notice  it  at  all  only  for  the  reason 
that  some  day  we  triist  this  site  will  be  adorned 
by  a  well-equipped  college. 

The  property  comi)rises  a  piece  of  gi^ound  200 
feet  square,  enclosed  by  a  high  brick  wall.  It 
is  situated  in  close  proximity  to  the  late  Dr. 
Talmage's  residence  and  the  other  school  build- 
ings of  our  Mission.  Being  on  a  high  elevation^ 
it  commands  on  the  one  side  a  full  view  of  the 
harbo]',  the  adjacent  island  of  Anioy  and  the 
mainland  beyond,  and  on  the  other  the  ocean 
and  the  high  ranges  of  mountains  that  skirt  its 
shores.  At  present  there  is  only  a  dwelling- 
house  on  the  grounds,  which  is  being  used  for 


EDUCATIONAL    WOEK.  183 

the  academy.  A  project  is  under  way,  and  an 
effort  is  being  made  (1893)  to  secure  |4,000  to 
erect  a  dorinilory  and  recitation  hall  imme- 
diately south  of  the  present  building,  which  is 
to  be  named  in  memory  of  Dr.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage 
—'•The  Talmage  Memorial  Hall."  And  surely 
the  man  who  spent  forty-five  years  of  his  life 
in  connection  witJi  tlie  Amoy  Mission  is  worthy 
of  such  a  recognition. 

It  is  the  ijurpose  of  the  school  to  give  the  lads 
who  come  under  its  instruction  a  thorough  edu- 
cation, spiritual,  mental  and  physical,  and  thus 
to  assist  the  seminary  in  the  effort  to  provide 
an  educated  ministry.  During  its  history  two 
or  three  hundred  boys  have  been  under  its  im- 
struction. 

The  -school  has  in  late  years  had  more  schol- 
ars than  it  could  comfortably  accommodate.  In 
180:^-'03  there  were  thirty  boys,  and  in  1893-94 
there  are  thirty-five  boys  in  attendance. 

The  ultimate  aim  of  the  institutitm,  as  already 
intimated,  is  a  college,  and  when  it  becomes 
such  we  trust  it  will  accomplish  its  every  aiuii. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  trace  the  steps  in  devel- 
opment, but  merely  notice  the  curriculum  al- 
ready provided.  This  will  give  some  idea  how 
much  of  an  advance  has  been  made  toward  a 
college,  and  Vv^here  we  stand  to-day  amongst 
the  educational  institutions  of  China. 

The  course  is  divided  into  four  years,  and  was 
put  into  opeiation  for  the  first  time  in  1890,  an<l 
all  inytrm-tion  is  given  through  the  Chinese 
language. 


184  FIFTV   YEARS  IN  MIOY. 

First  Year. — Scripture:  Acts  to  Revelations; 
Genesis.  Classics:  Analects,  Commentary,  Vol. 
I.  Kok-liong  (Ode.  Subject:  Customs,  Alanners, 
etc.)  lu-hak-su-ti.  (Subject:  Ancient  Chinese 
History).  Letter  Writing:  Composition  (i.  e., 
learning  to  use  tlie  CMnese  characters).  Arith- 
metic, Decimals  and  Fractions.  Geography: 
Asia  and  Europe,  complete.  Historj^:  China 
begun.  Astronom}-:  Introduction.  Catechism^ 
164  questions.  Reading  and  writing  the  Amoy 
Romanized  Colloquial.  Composition,  Map  Draw- 
ing. 

Second  Year. — Scripture:  Exodus  to  Judges. 
Classics:  Analects,  Commentary,  Vol.  II.  Tai- 
sian-nga  (Ode..  Subject:  ^^ili;ues  of  Kings  and 
Princes).    lu-hali-su-ti,  Vol.  II.     Tso-toan,  Vol. 

I.  (Subject:  History  of  Early  Feudalism).  Tong- 
si.  Vol.  I.  (Ode,  Subject:  Nature).  Composi- 
tion. Arithmetic,  finished.  Geography:  North 
and  South  America,  Africa.  History:  China. 
Catechism,  comi)lete.  Reading  and  writing  the 
Amoy  Romanized  Colloquial.  Composition. 
Map  Dr-awing. 

Third  Year. — Scripture:  Samuel  to  Esther; 
Psalms.  Classics:  Mencius, ♦Comiiientary.  Siong- 
su  (Ode.,  Subject:  Kingly  Government).  Si- 
keng-siong  (Ode.,  Subject:  I'anegyrics).  lu-liak- 
su-ti,  Vol.  III.    Tso-toan,  Vol.  II.    Tong-si,  VoL 

II.  Composition.  Algebra,  begun.  Physiol- 
ogy, complete.  Physics.  History:  England, 
France  and  Germany.  Reading  and  writing  the 
Amoy  Romanized  Colloquial.  Composition. 
Drawing. 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  185 

Fourth  Year. — Scripture:  Job;  Proverbs  to 
Malachi.  Classics:  Mencius,  Commentary.  Tai- 
hak  (Great  learning).  lu-hak-su-ti,  Vol.  IV. 
Tso-toan,  Vols.  HI.  and  [V.  Tong-si,  Vol.  III. 
Composition.  Algebra,  finished.  Physics.  His- 
tory: America,  Eussia,  Spain.  Reading  and 
writing  the  Anioy  Romanized  Colloquial.  Com- 
position.   Drawing. 

Since  this  curriculum  has  been  in  vogue  a 
further  demand  has  been  made  by  the  native 
Christians  for  the  introduction  of  the  study  of 
Mandarin  (i.  e.,  the  court  language)  and  English. 
I'robably  the  first  will  be  allowed  imme<liately 
and  the  latter  in  the  near  future. 

It  is  expecte<l  that  these  lads  will,  in  a  ma- 
jority of  cases,  become  ministers,  and  thus,  after 
the  comjtletion  of  their  course  in  this  institution, 
they  will  j»ass  on  into  the  theological  seminary. 

In  1891  SO  per  cent  of  the  boys  had  the  min- 
istry in  view,  10  per  cent  wei'e  expecting  to 
become  physicians.  Avhile  the  other  10  per  cent 
were  undecided.  The  boys  are  all  members  of 
Christian  families,  and  about  two-thirds  (1892) 
aire  members  of  the  Church. 


PAROCHIAL.     SCHOOLS. 

Each  church  and  some  of  the  out-stations  have 
a  day  school.  These  schools,  of  course,  began 
first,  and  then  followed  the  Middle  School.  But 
we  have  not  followed  any  order  in  the  treatment 
of  the  e<iucational  institutions,  as  we  preferred 
to  give  the  larger  institutions  the  more  promi- 
nent place.    The  day  schools  are  nearly,  if  not 


180  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AlVIOY. 

quite,  as  old  as  the  churches  themselves,  for 
just  as  soon  as  a  church  was  organized  a  day 
school  for  the  children  was  instituted. 

The  names  of  these  day  schools  of  our  chuiehes 
are  Sin-Koe-a,  Tek-chhiu-Kha,  Chioh-be,  Chiang- 
chiu,  Thian-po,  Sio-Khe,  Poa,  Lam-sin,  Te-soa^ 
Tong-an.  These  schools  are  all  graded,  and 
the  course  is  divided  into  six  years. 

Though  we  mention  the  parochial  schools  last 
in  order,  yet  they  are  by  no  means  least  in  im- 
portance. In  the  first  place,  they  are  feeders  of 
our  academy,  and  in  the  second  place,  here  is 
the  place  where  the  ''good  seed"  is  implanted 
for  the  first  time  in  the  child's  heart.  What 
the  child  is  here,  such  is  he  or  she  apt  to  be  in 
the  higher  institutions.  Here  the  seed  is  sown; 
in  the  higher  grades  Ave  hope  to  develop  it  and 
watch  its  growth.  Some  of  the  heathen  families 
send  tlieii*  childi'en  to  these  schools,  and  thus  is 
afforded  an  opportunity  of  reaching  homes  out- 
side of  the  Churcli  that  is  afforded  in  no  other 
^N-ay. 


THE    CHARLOTTE    W.    DURYEE    SCHOOL. 

When  the  Misses  Talmage  were  home  in 
America  in  1881  much  of  their  time  was  spent 
visiting  the  ladies  of  the  different  churches,  giv- 
ing information  concerning  "woman's  work"  in 
Amoy,  China.  At  that  time,  the  attention  of 
the  ladies  of  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  was 
directed  by  them  to  the  great  need  of  a  lady 
physician,  and  a  building  for  teaching  the 
women,  in  order  to  carry  on  the  work  more  sue- 


EDUCATIONAL    WOEK.  187 

cesgfully  and  advantageously  than  could  be  ac- 
complished b}^  house-to-house  visitation  in  the 
Amoy  District. 

Among  the  ladies  whose  heart  and  soul  gave  a 
glad  response  to  these  appeals  was  Mrs.  Char- 
lotte Duryee,  Foreign  Corresponding  Secretary 
of  the  Woman's  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
(1877-'85).  She  became  especially  interested  in 
the  woman's  school,  and  became  an  enthusiastic 
advocate  for  that  institution.  Mrs.  Talmagei 
also  met  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Woman's  lioard  and  placed  the  matter  l>efore 
tkem  to  consider. 

In  due  time  sufficient  funds  were  provided  to 
build  the  school,  and  the  building  was  com- 
pleted in  1884. 

About  the  time  of  its  completion  word  was 
received  at  Amoy  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Duryee. 
Mrs.  Talmage  wrote  home  immediately  to  the 
ladies  in  America,  proposing  that  the  school  be 
named  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Duryee.  The  proposi- 
tion met  with  the  hearty  approval  of  all,  and 
hence  it  received  the  name:  ''The  Charlotte  W. 
Duryee  School  for  Women." 

Work  among  the  women  of  Amoy  wias  com- 
menced by  Mrs.  Doty,  and  has  been  carried  on 
to  the  present  day  with  untiring  devotion  by 
the  ladies  of  the  Mission. 

There  is  a  record  of  a  meeting  for  Avomen  on 
December  IGth,  1845,  and  another  record  of 
Mrs.  Doty  having  a  regular  class  of  women 
under  her  instruction  in  1849.  Ever  since  those 
days   Mrs.  Talmage,   Mrs.  Kip  and  the  other 


188  FIFT\'  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

ladies  connecled  with  the  Mission  have  devoted 
their  time  to  this  Avork,  of  which  the  Kef  ormed 
(Dutch)  Church  may  well  feel  proud.  No  too 
high  praise  can  ever  be  sounded,  either  of  the 
workers  or  of  the  Avork. 

With  the  completion  of  the  buildings,  this 
work  entered  upon  a  Avider  fiehl  of  usefulness. 
It  is  a  school  for  women  of  the  Church  ranging 
from  25  to  50  year  of  age  (and  some  even 
older),  and  its  object  is  to  teach  them  to  read  the 
Bible,  and  to  make  them  useful  in  the  Church 
and  their  homes.  The  institution  has  been 
greatly  favored  in  being  able  to  retain  for  so 
many  years  the  efficient  services  of  (Mrs.)  Bi- 
So,  and  the  hope  is  that  many  j^ears  more  may 
be  added  to  her,  and  that  all  of  them  may  be 
devoted  to  this  work. 

"Many  of  these  women  live  long  distances 
from  any  place  of  w^orship.  Even  though  they 
walk  the  long  distances,  they  are  so  ignorant, 
they  understand  but  little  of  what  is  said  by 
the  preacher j  and,  on  the  whole,  have  but  little 
opportunity  of  making  any  advancement  in 
spiritual  truth.  Some  of  tiiese  women  have 
entered  the  women's  school  more  ignorant  than 
one  can  well  imagine,  but  after  a  few  months 
have  gone  liome  not  only  able  to  read  the  Bible 
in  the  Amoy  Romanized  Colloquial,  but  also 
wonderfully  brightened  up  in  many  ways,  espe- 
cially in  their  kno\\'ledge  of  the  Bible.  Some  of 
them  have  become  very  useful  Bible  women. 
Since  the  school  opened  nearly  200  women  have 


Ml  "W^  ^ 


Girls  School,  Kolongsu. 


EDUCATIONAL    WOEK.  181> 

studied  in  it,  almost  all  of  whom  have  learned 
to  read."    (Miss  M.  E.  Talmage's  Report.) 


THE    GIRLS'    BOAHDING    SCHOOL. 

There  are  two  schools  for  girls  in  the  Amoy 
District  connected  with  the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church  Mission,  one  located  at  Amoy  and  the 
other  at  Sio-Khe.  The  one  at  Amoy  is  under 
the  supervision  of  the  Misses  Talmage,  and  the 
one  at  Sio-Khe  under  the  supervision  of  Miss 
Nellie  Zwemer  and  Mrs.  Kip. 

The  school  at  Amoy  may  be  said  to  have  be« 
gun  in  the  Tek-chhiu-Kha,  or  Second,  Church 
of  Amoy  (about  1869),  where  Mrs.  Talmage  and 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Davis  would  gather  all  the  girls  they 
could  get  and  teach  them  to  read,  write  and 
cipher.  Encouraged  by  the  success  of  their 
efforts,  it  was  decided  to  organize  a  ''boarding 
school,'-  where  the  girls  of  all  the  cliurches,  both 
in  the  country  as  well  as  in  the  city,  might 
come  and  receive  an  education.  Hence  this 
boarding  school  was  opened  in  a  building  ad- 
joining the  Tek-Chhiu-Kha  Church.  (This  buihl- 
ing  was  the  home  at  one  time  of  the  nnssion- 
aries.  To-day  it  is  serving  the  purpose  of  a 
hospital  and  pastor's  home.) 

The  first  native  teacher  employed  was  an  old 
man  named  Hap  Liong  peh,  and  a  matron,  also^ 
was  employed  to  care  for  the  girls.  The  first 
female  teacher  was  Mrs.  Lo  (widow  of  pastor  Lo). 
Mrs.  Talmage  had  charge  oi  the  school  till  1872. 
While  Miss  Van  Doren  was  permitted  to  labor 
in  Amov  she  had  the  care  of  the  school.    After 


190  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 

she  left  it  came  under  tlie  direction  of  Miss  M. 
E.  Talmage,  under  whose  charge  it  has  been 
ever  since,  excepting  when  on  furlough.  At 
present  there  are  two  Chinese  female  teachers, 
viz.:  Mrs.  Sia  and  Chhiu  Che,  who  are  matrons 
also.  Under  all  these  administrations  it  has 
been  a  most  successful  school,  <ioing  the  same 
good  worjv  among  the  young  girls — girls  from 
eight  to  eighteen  years  of  age — as  the  woman's 
school  is  (L'ing  among  the  older  women. 

About  the  year  1878  the  present  building,  lo- 
cated on  Kolongsu  Island,  was  erected,  and  the 
girls  were  transferred  from  their  old  quarters 
to  these  new  an;l  more  commodious  ones. 

The  institution  is  giving  these  girls  an  educa- 
tion— something  that  the  Chinese  do  not  give 
their  girls.  But,  better  than  all,  it  is  giving 
them  a  Christian  education.  It  is  also  engaged 
in  another  good  work  in  its  endeavor  to  break 
up  that  cruel  and  horrible  custom  of  foot-bind- 
ing. Every  child  who  enters  here  must  come 
with  her  feet  unbound,  and  with  a  promise  from 
her  parents  that  they  will  not  be  bound,  and 
consequently  the  fifty  girls  in  attendanco  have 
natural  feet. 

"Since  the  establishment  of  this  institution 
many  girls  have  passed  through  it  who  are  now 
scattered  through  the  country  congregations. 

"They  are  the  great  joy  of  our  work  and  the 
bright  hope  of  the  future.  Some  of  them  have 
become  teachers,  many  of  them  preachers'  wives, 
an;i  nearly  all  made  public  profession  of  their 
love  for  the  Saviour.      The  school  is  crowded 


Children's  Home  (on  the  left).  Koi.r^NGsu. 


Charlotte  W.   Duryee's  Woman's  School, 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  191 

at  present  (1892),  having  fifty  girls  on  the  roll. 
The  training  of  these  Ave  feel  to  be  the  most  im- 
portant work,  deserving  all  the  time  and  eare 
we  are  capable  of  giving."  (Miss  M.  E.  Tal- 
mage's  Report.) 

The  sister  institution  at  Sio-Khe  was  organ^ 
ized  by  Mrs.  Van  Dyck  in  1888-'89,  and  it  is 
doing  the  same  good  work  in  Bio-Khe.  The 
workers  there  have  had  their  hearts  made  glad 
by  the  news  that  has  just  been  received  (1893) 
of  funds  to  be  given  by  the  Woman's  Board  for 
the  erection  of  a  new  school  building  for  the 
girls. 


THE     CHILDUEN'S    HOME     (OUPHAISTAGE). 

This  institution,  founded  and  supported  by 
the  ladies  of  the  English  Presbyterian  and  Re- 
forme<l  (Dutch)  churches  in  1887,  has  for  its 
object  the  rescue  of  female  children  from  slavery 
and  death. 

The  name  in  Chinese  clearly  defines  its  object, 
viz.:  "Merc}^  Upon  the  Chihlren  (or,  ^l*ity  the 
Child')  Institution."  So  much  suffering  among 
the  childi^en  and  so  many  cases  of  absolute  want 
were  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  ladies  that 
they  felt  something  ought  to  be  done  in  behalf 
of  these  children,  and  thus  originated  the  idea 
of  starting  the  home. 

Since  tlie  time  of  its  opening,  fifty-four  chil- 
dren have  been  talien  under  its  fostering  care. 
Some  of  these  children  (and  they  are  only  babes) 
were  saved  from  their  cruel  and  inhuman  moth- 
ers, who  were  preparing  to  drown  them  or  sell 


192  FIFTY  YEARS  IN   AJMOY. 

them.  Of  these  fifty-four,  some  have  died  and 
some  have  been  adopted  b}'  Christian  families. 
At  present  there  are  thirty-four  chihlren  under 
the  care  of  the  home.  Three  Chinese  ladies,  viz. : 
Thiap-a,  Put-Chiu  and  Pek-Soat,  look  after  the 
little  ones  in  the  home. 

Thus  we  see  the  grand  v^^ork  that  is  contem- 
plated in  rescuing  the  females  of  the  Amoy 
District.  Provision  is  made  for  all  classes, 
the  women,  the  girls,  and  the  "little  tots."  God 
bless  these  efforts. 


WOMAN'S    WORK. 

This  department  must  not  close  wdthout  a  few 
lines  regarding  woman's  work.  '^  Woman's  work 
is  never  done"  in  Amoy,  for  when  the  school 
duties  are  over  there  is  some  lonely  and  be- 
nighted soul  to  be  visite<l  in  the  hospital  an<l 
told  the  story  of  redeeming  love.  And  these 
patients  are  always  glad  to  have  a  visit  from 
these  ladies.  Then  the  little  ones  in  the  Chil- 
dren's Home  must  be  looked  after,  church  mem- 
bers and  heathen  families  must  be  visited,  and 
occasionally  arranging  for  marriages,  and  prep- 
aration for  their  daily  school  work  besides.  This 
is  a  sample  of  the  lady  missionaries'  daily  life 
at  Amoy.  But  their  work  is  not  confined  to 
Amoy  City.  That  work  branches  out  into  the 
country  around  for  sixty  milerj  and  more.  This 
work  of  visiting  the  out-stations  was  begun  by 
the  Misses  Talmage',  and  the  other  ladies  have 
followed  their  noble  example  and  have  done 
and  are  doing  a  blessed  work. 


ED  LI  CATION  AL  WORK.  193 

It  involves  much  bodily  discomfort  and  loneli- 
ness. "It  means  starting  with  a  basket  of  food 
and  a  bundle  of  bedding  and  books  (an  orthodox 
load  for  a  Obinaman  to  sling  across  his  shoulders 
on  each  end  of  a  pole),  to  be  gone,  per- 
haps, over  a  Sunday,  i)erhaps  for  four  or  five 
weeks,  itineratiug  auiongst  the  out-stations  (liv- 
ing in  chapels!  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  and 
holding  meetings  with  the  women."  These 
ladies  usually  go  two-by-two,  but  sometimes 
alone,  yet  in  tins  heathen  land  they  go  mth  per- 
fect safetv  and  without  molestation. 


THE    PRESS. 

Not  the  least  important  event  of  these  fifty 
years  was  the  construction  of  the  Amoy  Roman- 
ized Colloquial,  ^^hich,  in  fact,  was  nothing  less 
than  a  new  written  language. 

The  Chinese  written  language  is  composed  en- 
tireh^  of  arbitrary  characters,  or  symbols,  about 
thirty  or  forty  thousand  of  them.  Each  one  of 
these  symbols  represents  a  word.  Consequently 
there  is  no  alphabet.  To  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  these  symbols,  so  as  to  be  able  to  read  Chi- 
nese literature,  requires  years,  frequently  a  life- 
time of  patience  and  toil,  besides  a  deal  of  lung 
power  (for  they  always  shout  at  the  top  of  their 
voices  when  they  study). 

One  can  readily  understand  how  difficult  the 
acquisition  of  such  a  written  language  must  be, 
how  few  do  acquire  it,  and  how  millions  in  the 
great  Empire  of  China  are  de})rived  of  the  bone- 


194  FIFTY   YEARS  IN   AMOY. 

fit  and  information  containe<l  in  their  books  and 
other  literature. 

Realizing-  the  terrible  ignorance  of  the  native 
Christians,  and  realizing  the  ntter  hopelessness 
of  ever  being  able  to  improve  their  sad  condi- 
tion  in  this  res])ect  by  means  of  the  old,  the  very 
literary    method,    the  missionaries  of  the  Re- 
formed (Dntch)   Church   (in  the  year  1852   or 
1853)  devised  a  new  system  of  writing  tlie  Amoy 
Colloquial  by  using  Roman  letters.      Choosing 
eighteen  of  these  letters,  and  by  aspirating  some 
of  them,  an  alphabet  of  twenty-three  letters  was 
completed.    AVith  this  alphabet  an<l  Avith  tonal 
and  nasal  signs  a  complete  transformation  of  the 
language  from  the  dead  arbitrary  symbols  to  the 
living  and  mnch   more  comprehensive,   simple 
and  intelligible  style  was  made,  thus  nuildng  it 
possible  for  every  man,  woman  and  chUd  to  read. 
This  style  of  writing  has  been  one  of  the  bless- 
ings, among  the  many  others,  that  has  come  to 
the  people  of  Amoy  during  this  half  century. 
Yet  this  conservative  people  have  l:)eeii  slow  in 
appreciating  it.    It  was  not  literary  enough.    It 
was  too  much  like  child-Avork  to  sit  down  and 
read  that  kind  of  A^'riting.    Some  wei^  actnally 
ashamed  to  be  seen  reading  it.    Some  despised 
it  simply  because  it  Avas  too  foreign.    And  so, 
rather  than  learn  to  read  the  Romanized  Col- 
loquial (they  could  not  read  the  symbols)  they 
would  not  read  at  all.    China  moves  sIoav — but 
she  moves.    Hoav  fast  none  can  tell.    They  do 
not  jump  at  a  new  thing  in  a  hurry.    There  are 
no  frog-like  movements  in  the  Chinese  Avay  of 


EDUCATIONAL    WORK.  195 

doing  things.  AVhen  tliey  jump  they  know  where 
they  will  land,  and  when  landed  they  generally 
stay  landed.  Though  they  did  not  appreciate 
this  new  style  oT  writing  at  first,  they  do  appre- 
ciate it  to-day  more  than  they  did  thirty  years 
a^o,  and  will  appreciate  it  more  and  more  every 
year  they  employ  it. 

They  have  cause  to.  The  proof  of  the  pudding 
is  in  the  eating  thereof.  The  Chinese  have 
found  it  to  be  so  in  this  case.  It  has  made  it 
possible  for  them  to  be  a  respectably  intelligent 
people,  without  which  they  would  liave  been  as 
dumb  as  gate-posts. 

It  has  brought  light  and  knowledge  to  thou- 
sands of  homes  that  never  would  liave  had  either 
without  it.  It  has  not  only  made  it  possible  for 
old  and  young  alike  in  that  disti'ict  to  read  and 
write,  but  has  <lone  more  toward  the  spiritual 
enlightenment  of  that  people  in  these  few  years 
than  whole  centuries  of  the  old  method  could  or 
can  hope  to  accomplish. 

It  requires,  as  has  been  intimated,  almost  a 
life-time  to  acquii'e  the  old  method,  while  in  two 
months  (or  even  less)  one  may  acqiiii'e  this- 
method. 

We  laiow  not  how  many  readers  have  been; 
made  by  this  system,  but  we  are  confident  that 
where  there  were  ten  thirty-five  years  ago,  there 
are  a  hundred  to-day;  and  where  there  was  one 
who  could  not  read  a  line  of  their  own  language, 
there  are  ten  who  can  read  intelligently  and 
with  profit  to-day.    A  ten-fold  increase,  yet  we 


196  FIFTV  \1EARS  IX   AMOV. 

deem  tiiis  not  an  unfair  estimate.  It  may  be  too 
low  an  estimate. 

Thirty -five  or  forty  years  ago  tliere  was  not  a 
line  printed  in  this  new  style,  while  to-day  there 
ai'e  about  fifty  different  works,  besides  the  Old 
and  Kew  Testaments  published  in  the  Amoy 
Romanized  Colloquial.  In  addition  to  these, 
mention  must  be  made  of  a  monthly  church 
paper,  called  the  "Church  Messenger,"  issue<l  in 
this  style. 

Bom  in  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  Mis- 
sion, her  missionaries  have  ever  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  its  success.  At  first  the  books, 
tracts,  etc.,  were  printed  from  blocks,  but  in 
ISCM-TiS  movable  type  was  introduced,  and 
Rev.  Howard  Van  Doren  superintended  the 
press.  Thus  a,  majority  of  the  books  is- 
fened  have  been  issued  by  the  members 
of  this  Mission,  viz.:  Sacramental  forms  of  the 
Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  (1853),  Anglo-Chi- 
nese Manual  of  the  Amoy  District  (1853),  Mil- 
ner's  Thirteen  A^illage  Sermons,  including  Mil- 
ner's  Tract:  ^'The  Straight  Gate,"  by  Rev.  Elihn 
Doty;  "Pilgrims'  Progress"  (1853),  Holy  Scrip- 
tures (13  books!,  Book  of  Forms,  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism, Sacred  History,  Dictionary  Amoy  Ro- 
manized Colloquial,  Hynms,  Arithmetic,  Stories 
by  Rev.  J.  V.  X.  Talmage,  D.  D.  (It  is  also  diLe 
to  Dr.  Talmage  to  record  here  that  the  ''Church 
Messenger"  owes  its  origin  to  him.  He  began 
it,  and  until  the  end  labored  unceasingly  for 
its  success,  both  mth  his  pen  and  with  his 
counsel.)      Sacred  History,  Vols.  II.,  IV.;  '^Jes- 


EDUCATIONAL    WOEK.  197 

sica's  First  Prayer''  (1886),  ''Robert  Annam" 
(1890),  by  Mrs.  J.  Y.  N.  Talniage;  Sacred  His- 
tory, Vols.  I.,  m. ;  Sunday-school  Texts  (annual), 
Child's  Story-book,  "Golden  Bells,"  ''How  Satan 
Tempts,"  by  Miss  Talmage;  "Pilgrims'  Prog- 
ress," Heidelberg  Catechism  (revised,  1891)),  by 
Rev.  D.  Rapalje;  Church  Psalter  (1892),  Holy 
Scripture  (part).  Map  of  the  Amoy  District, 
showing  roads,  rivers  and  places  (new,  1892), 
by  Rev.  L.  W.  Kip,  D.  D.;  a  Course  in  Astron- 
omy, a  Course  in  Physiology,  On  the  Proper 
Training  of  cliildren  (1892),  by  Mrs.  L.  W.  Kip; 
Geography  of  Europe  (1888),  Geography  of 
North  America  (1890),  Geogi'aphy  of  South 
America  (1891),  Chinese  History  (first  six  dynas- 
ties, 1892),  by  Rev.  P.  W.  Pitcher;  Life  of  St 
Paul  (1891),  "Aesop's  Fables"  (1891),  by  Rev. 
J.  G.  Fagg. 


APPENDIX 


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202  FIFTV  YEARS  IN  MIOY. 

GROWTH     OF    MISSION    WORK    IN    CHINA. 

la  1842  there  were 6  Communicants. 

In  1853  there  were 350  Communicants. 

In  1863  there  were 2,000  Communicants. 

In  187B  there  were 13,035  Communicants. 

In  1886  tliere  were 28,000  Communicants. 

In  1889  there  were 37,287   Communicant-s. 


APPENDIX  B. 

THE   PERSONNEL   AND   TABULAR    STATEMENT    OF    THE 
AMOY    MISSION    IN   1857. 
MISSIONARIES. 
Eev.  Eliliu  Doty,  Eev.  J.  S.  Joralman, 

Eev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage,  Mre.  J.  S.  Joralman. 

Mrs.   Abby  F.   (Woodruff) 

Talmage, 
Ohurch  Organizations,   1.      Theological  Class,  1. 
Churcli  Communicants,  17 2. Parochial  Schools,  2. 
Church  Catecliists,  5.  Out-stations  (Chioh-be),   1. 

Places  of  Worship,  2.  Membership  of  Chioh-be,  35. 


APPENDIX   C. 

THE   PEPvSONNEL    AND    TABULAR   STATEMENT    OF    THE 
AMOY  MISSION  ON  ITS  JUBILEE  ANNIVER- 
SARY, FEBRUARY  2iTH,   1892. 

MISSIONARIES. 

Rev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage,  D.D.,Rev.  P.  W.  Pitcher, 
Rev.  Daniel  Rapalje,  Rev.  J.  G.  Fagg, 

Rev.   [i.  W.  Kip,  D.D.,  Or.  J.  A.  Otto  (Medical). 

Eev.  A.  S.  Van  Dyck, 

ASSISTANT    MISSIONARIES. 

Mrs.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage,  Mrs.  A.  S.  Van  Dyck, 

Mrs.  L.  W.  ICip,  ;\lrs.  J.  A.  Otte, 

Miss   M.    E.   Talmage,  Mrs.  J.  T.  Fagg, 

Mrs.  D.  Rapalje,  Af'ss  E.  M.  Cappon, 

Miss  K.  M.  Talmage,  Miss  Nellie  Zwemer, 

Mrs.  P.  W.  Pitcher,  Miss  M.  C.  Morrison. 

NATIVE  PASTORS. 
Rev.  Ng  Ho-Seng,  u'ev.  Li  Ki-che, 

Eev.  Ti  Peng-teng,  Eev.  lu  Ho-sui, 

Rev.  lap  Han-Chiong,  Eev.  lljong  Lu-li, 

Rev.  Chhoa  Thian-Ivliit,        Eev.  lam  Clii-seng. 
Rev.  Lim  Khiok, 


APPENDIX. 


203 


Church  Organizations,  9.       Schools :      TJioological,      1  ; 

Native  Pastors  (ordained),  I).      Academy,     1;     Woman's, 

Church    Members,    9  68.  1;    Girls',    2;    Parochml, 

Native  Helpers  (unord.),   16.     11. 

Regular  Preach'g  Places,  23. Hospital,  1. 

Theological  Students,  9.         luvesited  in  property,   about 

Schools :      Theological,       1  ;     $.50,000. 


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(a)  Composed   of   two   congregations;    Kaner-taii    and    Kio-t;iii. 

(b)  Composed  of  two  congregations  ;   Te-soa  and  Ang-tung-tau, 
and  one   out-station,    Te-tau. 

(c)  Has  one  out-station  ;  Chhoa-poa. 

(d)  Has  two  out-stations  ;   Poa-tau-chki  and  Ko-soa. 

(e)  Has    six    out-stations ;    Lam-sin,    Poa-a,     Toa-Khe,     Soa-pl, 
E-ch8  and  Toa-lo-teng. 

it)  Has  two  out-stations  ;  Soa-sia,  Lieng-soa. 


IN13EX. 


Arrival  of  Kobt.  Morrison  in 

Chiua,  22. 
Ai-rival  of  David  Abeel,  t>2- 

65. 
Abeel,  llome  of,  on  Kolong- 

su,  58. 
Amoy  Inland,  Population  of, 

25. 
Amoy  City,  Latitude  of,  26. 
Anioy  ( Uty,  J3istauces  from, 

26. 
Amoy,  Clinuite,  2  6. 
Amoy   City,    Population   of, 

27. 
Amoy    City,    IJesr-ription   of, 

28. 
Amoy  City,  Commercial  Im- 
portance,  29. 
Amoy  Captured  by  British, 

33. 
Amoy    District ,    2  5-3 3 . 
Amoy  ]\Iis:<iou,  Condition  of, 

1857. 
Amoy  Mission,  Condition  of, 

J892,  97. 
Amoy  Mission,  Founding  of, 

58. 
Amoy     Mission,     Statistics, 

12,  127,  132. 
Amoy    People,    Characteris- 
tics  of,   etc.,    35-37. 
Amoy    PastoTs,    Names    of, 

99. 
Adria.nee,  Miss  Caroline  E., 

82,    84-86. 


Anti-Missionary    Movement, 
151. 

Benevolence  of  Churches, 
127-132. 

BlauA^elt,  Rev.   A.,   8  6. 

Kisliop    Boone,    58,    59. 

Blauveit,  Mrs.  Jennie  (Za- 
briskie),    86. 

Board  Foreign  JNIissions  Or- 
ganized, 17,   19. 

I^ilile,  First  Translated  Into 
Chinese,  22. 

Bible  Class  Organized,  101, 

Boys'  Academy,  180,  182- 
185. 

(Chinese  Repository,  Found- 
ing of,  23. 

Chinese,    Charact«n    of,    14, 
34. 
liinese    P'avor    Foreigners, 
48. 

I'hinese  Suspicious  of  For- 
eigners, 49. 

Church  of  Christ  in  China, 
History  of  its  Organiza- 
tion,  92. 

Jhurch  Organization  at 
Amoy,    96. 

Cldoh-be  Church,   99,    110. 

Christians,  Persecution  of, 
23. 

Conversion  of  Mrs.  Lee, 
115. 

Chiang-Chiu  Churcii,  100, 
119. 


INDEX. 


Cummings,  Dr.  C.  loi.  162 

Comparative  luereaso  of 
Communicants  in  Amoy, 
127. 

Comparative  Increase  Com- 
municants of  Cliina,   15. 

Ciiina  Closed  to  Foreign- 
ers, 47- 

Classis  Organized  at  Amov, 
96. 

Churches,  Names  of,  99. 

Gappfon,  Miss  E.  M.,  89. 

Converts,  The  First  in 
China,    22. 

Converts,     The 
Amoy,  102. 

Chha-thau-po, 

Children's  Home, 

Death    of    Kobt. 
23. 

Death  of  David  Abeel,    64. 

Dedication  of  First  Church, 
104. 


Fir.<t 


191. 
Morrison, 


of,    10.^. 
Against 


C. 


For 


Description 
Doors    Closed 

eigners,  47. 
Davis,   Mrs.    Emma 

(Wyckoff),    88. 
Davis,  Rev.  J.  A.,  88. 

koff),  88. 
Doty,  Rev.  Eiihu,  61,  65-7  0. 
Difficulties     of     Conveying 

Gospel,    173. 
Douglas  Memorial,  45. 
Explanation      of      Church 

Names,   99. 
Evangelist,     The    First     in 

Amoy,  106. 
Episcopal  Church  in  Amoy, 

92. 
Educational   Work,   168. 
Evangelists,        Unordained, 

126. 
First  Church  in  Amoy,  94- 

101. 


Amoy, 


■iisr       Church       iu 

Building,   104. 
/irst      Foreign      Missionary 
Organization    iu   the   Re- 
formed   (Dutch  I     Church, 
17. 
First  Convert  in  Cliina.  2  2. 
First  Convert  in  Amoy.  102. 
i^'ailure    of     Lord     Napier's 

Mission,   51. 
First  Convert  Baptized,  22, 

102. 
Fagg,  Rev.  J.  G.,  89.  178. 
Fagg,    Mrs.    M.     (Gillespie), 

89. 
First     Rooms     Rent<xl      in 
Hepburn,    Dr.    J.    C,    162. 

pie,  39. 
lloines    of    tlie    Amoy    Peo- 
Ifakka   Mission,    132. 

165. 
Hospital    at    Sio-Khe,    125, 
Hong  San  Church,  99,  114. 

Khe,    123. 
(Gospel  First  Brouglit  to  Sio- 

Amoy,   104. 
First    Property    Bought    in 

Amoj-,    101. 
Joralman,  Itev.  J.  S.,  79-80. 
J  oral  man,    Mrs.    Martha   B. 

(Condit),    79-80. 
Jubilee   of   the   Amoy   Mis- 
sion,  10. 
Kolongsu    Island,     44. 
Kolongsu    Missionaiy    Resi- 
dences, 
Kolongsu       Foreign      Resi- 
dences,   45. 
Kolongsu    Educational     In- 
stitutions, 177. 
Kjp,    Rev.     L.     W.,     D.D., 

86,    178. 
Kip,    Mrs.    Helen    (Culbert- 

son),   86. 
King,  Miss  V.  May,  89,  164. 


206 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  AMOY. 


Loudon  Mission  Society,  92. 
Loyd,  Rev.  Jolin,  92. 
Mission     at     Anioy      Tudor 

A.  B.  C.  F.  M., 
-Missions  in  Oliina,  History 
Morrison,    Miss    M.    C,    89. 
Martyr,   The   First,    106. 

102. 

Montlily  Concert,  Ciiinese, 
at  Amoy,  92. 

Missions,  Kepresentatives 
Agencies,  90. 

Missions,  Methods  and 
tant,    22. 

Missions  in  (  liina,  Frotes- 
of  Kome,  21. 

Missions  in  China,  Cliurch 
of,  21. 

Macleisli,     Dr.   A.   L.,     163. 

Medical  Worls  161. 

Students,    167. 

New  Testament,  First  in 
China,   22. 

Nine  Cluirehes,  Names  of 
99. 

Native  Pastors, 

Organization  of  Indepen- 
dent Board  l^'oreign  Mis- 
sions in  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church,    18. 

Officers  and  Members  of 
Board  Foreign  Missions 
Reformed  (Dutch)  Church 
in  1857,  18. 

Officers  and  Members  of 
Board  Foreign  Missions 
Reformed  (Dutch)  Church 
in  1892,  19. 

Ostrom,  Rev.  A.,  80-Sl. 

Ostrom,  Mrs.  Susa.n  (Web- 
ster), 80-81. 

Opium  War,  History,  50-55. 

Opium   War,   Origin,    54. 

Opium  Trade,  52. 


Opium,    Attempts    Made   to 
Legalize  It,  52. 

Opium,   Opposition   of  Gov- 
ernment Against  It,  52. 

Opium  Destroyed,  54. 

O-Kang  Church,  99,  1]3. 

Otte,  J.  A.,  89,  164. 

Otte,   Mrs.    Francis    (Phelps 
89. 

Press,   The,    193. 

Parochial   Schools,    185. 

Pohlman,    Rev.    W.    J.,    61, 
70-74. 

Pdlilman,  Mrs.  Theodosia  K. 
(Scudder),   70-74. 

Ports  Opened,  47,   56-57. 

Persecution     of    Christians, 
23. 

Product  of  Amoy,  41. 

Pitcher,  Rev  P.  W.,  99,  181. 

Pitcher,      Mrs.      Anna      F. 
(Merritt),   89. 

Presbyterian  (American)    at 
Amoy,    92. 

Presbyterian     (English)      at 
Amoy,    92. 

Roman  Merchants  in  China, 
48. 

Kapalje,    Rev.     Daniel,     80, 
178. 

Kapalje,     Mrs.     Alice     (Os- 
trom), 80. 

Keb<-llion,      J  lie      Tai-peng, 
134. 

School,    Charlotte    W.    Dur- 
yee,    186. 

Suspicion         of         Ciiinese 
Aroused,  49. 

School,  Girls'  Board'g,   188. 

Statistics     of     Amoy     Mis- 
sion,  12. 

>i()-Klie   Churcli,    100,    123. 

Sin-koe-a,  27. 

Second    Chnrch    of    Amoy,. 
109. 


INDEX 

Talmage,  Eev.  J.  V.  N.,  74 


20T 


TaJmage,  Miss  Mary  E.,  88. 

Talmage,  Eev.  David  ISl., 
88. 

Talmage,  Miss  Catlierine 
M.,  88. 

Tong-an  Church,   100,   121. 

Thian-Saii  Church,  100, 
126. 

Tek-chhiu-kha, 

Union  of  Presbyterian 
Order  at   Amoy, 

Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary,   17  6. 


Van  Doren,  Kev.  H.,  87. 
V'a.ii  Doren,  Mi^  Helen,  87- 

88. 
Van  Dyck,  Kev.  A.  S.,  89, 

181. 
van  Dyck,  Mrs.  Alice  (Kip), 

89. 
Watking,  Kev.  J.  E.,  81. 
Woman's  Work,   192. 
Woman's     ^Meeting     Orgaix 

ized, 
Vouug,    Dr.   James,    162. 
Zwemer,  JNliss  Nellie,  89. 


i^»MfM^ltSfl»^ 


BW8369  .A5P6 

Fifty  years  in  Amoy,  or,  A  history  of 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00040  1879 


